A hero is someone who has given his or her life to something bigger than oneself.
Joseph Campbell
Happy Memorial Day!
I hope it’s a wonderful day relaxing with your family and friends, but I also hope you pause and remember the reason behind the holiday.
I don’t know about you, but the older I get, the more the history behind a holiday matters to me. More than the holiday almost… Now that I have a son serving his country, and abroad at that, I have a deeper understanding of the cost involved to defend our freedoms. It’s been a year since I’ve seen my son (well, in person at least) and it will likely be at least another year until I get to hug him in person. So I can’t imagine the sacrifice of so many who came before….
We got a chance to Skype with our son yesterday, and he spent Saturday volunteering at one of the American cemeteries in Europe, putting out American flags at the foot of each grave, and laying a red rose on the top of each headstone. I don’t think I could get through such a monumental undertaking – there were many, many volunteers, and many, many graves; it took them several hours to complete the task.
A couple different military-related articles or items of interest….
First, the pictures of the book above are of a book given to my grandfather when he left to serve in the European theater during World War II. Thankfully, he made it home, but I often think of how different things are now and then. I’m able to Skype my son, leave instant messages to him on Facebook, call, etc… but when my grandfather served, it often took weeks and sometimes months for correspondence to arrive on either end. Likewise, just about everyone that was able, served in some capacity. Military service was a given. Today… not so much…
There’s a divide between the military and everyday Americans. From the article:
Baroff, 90, finds himself startled when people learn of his war record and say, as Americans often do to soldiers these days, “Thank you for your service.”
“You never, ever heard that in World War II. And the reason is, everybody served,” he said.
- On the other hand, patriotism is alive in well – 11 year old boy salutes fallen WW2 heroes on Omaha Beach
- Bringing home fallen soldiers
- Here are some of the other things I’ve run across this week… Oh, and God Bless America!
- Vegetable Toad-in-the-Hole – looks scrumptious!
- What to do this summer in each of the 50 states
- Turn your grill into an outdoor pizza oven
- Mark Zuckerberg gives you the finger, but the article is worth the read – why C students become CEO’s
- How many calories you actually need each day
- Praying for your children everyday
- Better than a birdbath – DIY bubble rock
- My sisiter-in-law taught me this a few years ago…. how to make your grill non-stick
- Best beaches in the US
- Peach chicken with grilled asparagus
- Have trouble remembering names? You’re not alone and there’s a reason why..
- Cat burned in fire now nurses other animals
- Turn your smartphone into a projector
- First 21 days of a bee’s life
- Coconut lime ice pops – perfect for summer
- I want to make this DIY ombre t-shirt in just about every color combination
- 8 productivity trips from a procrastinator
- I grew up going to EPCOT – Walt Disney’s original plan for it
- Molten aluminum poured into a watermelon is so cool!
- Adorable living locket
- Looks refreshing – summer melon ball punch
- Sleep more = more happiness
- The ultimate in redneck-ism!
- BBC is making a drama about the Bronte sisters – count me in!
- When you eat matters