Want to Feel the True Spirit of Memorial Day? Visit A Small Town
While this holiday weekend is being mark by cookouts, yard sales, graduations, and serves as the “unofficial” kick-off of a mask-less summer (if you’ve been vaccinated), it’s good to stop and take a moment or two to understand and think about what the Memorial Day holiday is all about.
Unlike Armed Forces Day (May 15th) or Veteran’s Day (November 11th), Memorial Day is reserved to remember those men and women who served their country and are no longer with us. Many of these brave men and women never left the battlefield, some continued to suffer the rages of war in their minds for the rest of their days, and some returned to live out fruitful and happy lives. The common thread is that they have all moved on from this earthly plain to something else (whatever your beliefs tell you), and we use Memorial Day to remember these men and women as they once were when they walked among us.
Sure, some big cities may put on a lavish parade or have some expensive military fly-over to celebrate the weekend, but if you look around you, you’ll find that most small towns embrace the true spirit of the holiday in the simplest and most profound ways.
Many small and local cemeteries will sport American flags on the graves of their veterans, put there by volunteers or civic organizations like the Boy Scouts. There may be a small veteran’s park where members of the American Legion may lay a wreath of remembrance without a large crowd or spectators. Church bells may toll to mark a solemn reminder of those that were lost.
In my little town, veterans are remembered through banners hung from the town’s light poles, stating their name, their unit, and a picture of them from their time of service. It is a touching time capsule to see a loved one, smiling back at the world from the glory days of their youth. The program here is so successful that there are more banners than poles to hang them on, so the photos are rotated, showing a different portrait from one year to the next.
Author Cassandra Clare once said “as long as there is love and memory, there is no true loss.” We take the time on this Memorial Day to not only remember privates, captains, and colonels, but also fathers, mothers, husbands, sisters, uncles, and daughters. We remember the people who filled the uniform, and as long as their memory is in our hearts, they will always be with us.
I hope you have a safe and happy Memorial Day.
One thought on “Want to Feel the True Spirit of Memorial Day? Visit A Small Town”
We have been fighting overseas for so long that it seems to many like this is the norm. But to those directly involved, it is a life-changing situation. The next time you see a veteran or currently serving soldier thank him/her for their service. Let them know you recognize what they have done or are currently doing for you and your loved ones.