What does your Memorial Day observance look like? I remember fondly the May weather, the parade, the celebrations of “Decoration Day” as my mother called it, and the visit to the cemetery to decorate the gravesite of a distant relative who lost his life in World War II. I also remember that Memorial Day was the official beginning of summer and the end of the school year. However, my mother made sure that we remembered what “Decoration Day” was all about– not with words but with actions. She made it a yearly tradition to honor service men and women who had died.
Many years later, correspondence was found in my mother’s handwriting. She and my grandmother had addressed the issue of insurance for the fallen hero’s survivors. People took the remembrance of American heroes very seriously from military induction to their final resting place. Why? Probably because the nation was united in their support of the military. Hardly anyone did not have some relative who had served in some way. It was the “American” thing to do.
It’s still the “American” thing to do. Share Memorial Day traditions with your loved ones. If you don’t have any traditions to honor the memory of our American heroes, by all means, create some! It can be as simple as wearing red, white, and blue or as detailed as attending a Memorial Day observance locally or nationally. You will be glad you participated in this American holiday and passed the tradition on to those around you.
It’s the American thing to do.
