Memorial Day...

When I was a teenager I was not a fan of Memorial Day.  I was in the marching band.  For the 7 years of middle and high school I was required to march in the Memorial Day parade.  And every year except 1 it rained and was miserable.  So we marched and played in gross heavy wet uniforms.

I was lucky enough at the time to not have experienced a significant loss and I was a selfish brat of an adolescent and didn't think of much beyond what directly effected me.

Today dawned beautiful - warm breezy sunny.  I quickly went through the veggie garden again with the rototiller.  Then I really got down to work.  For 4 hours I planted the garden, fixed the fence around it, and then began working on planting containers of flowers.  4 hours is a long time to think if you are so inclined.

And I was today.  I thought about my father and grandfathers.  I thought about people I miss - both veterans and non-veterans.  I know that there are others out there that paid more tribute to today then I did, but it was time to reflect on my life and the lives of others.

We don't live anywhere near where my dad is buried.  But we are only 1.5 miles from the cemetery where Marc's mother and brother are buried.  Marc's Dad and sister had planted fresh flowers on their graves and Marc's dad really wanted us to visit.  So before dinner we took the dogs for a walk and stopped in to see.

Neither Marc nor I like visiting graves.  But it felt peaceful today.

 A serene end to a productive and welcome long weekend.