Memorial Day happenings

Memorial Day weekend is a special time in our family. We gather to celebrate two birthdays and enjoy the long weekend together with cookouts, visits to the pool, watching the 500 race on TV. Right after church we turn on the TV and root for our favorite Indy drivers.

When I was young, the old name Decoration Day fit perfectly. My family traveled an hour to decorate family graves and to gather afterward at my nearby aunt and uncle's house for a reunion of sorts. The entire drive to the cemetery we listened to the race. The sound of Indy race cars, the scent of peonies and the vivid purples of iris nestled in Ball jars are part of my memories of that day.

Now my husband and I visit two cemeteries to decorate our parents' graves, to brush grass clippings from headstones and spend time remembering those loved ones who went before. Small USA flags flutter by the graves of those who served this country in the military. Those flags never fail to touch me. I'm grateful to our service men and women for perserving our freedom, sadly often sacrificing much, if not their very lives. God bless America!

Blessings,
Janet