Through the sound of the wind whispering in the cottonwood leaves I hear semi-automatics in the distance. Today is Memorial Day. I overheard some people this weekend wondering what we were celebrating on Memorial Day. My heart clenched and sank. In the United States, Memorial Day marks the unofficial start of summer and the official start of camping season. For some people, that’s enough reason to celebrate. The true meaning of the holiday is lost.
Memorial Day is a holiday to honor and mourn those who died serving in the U.S. Military. I consider it a day to honor and grieve all those who died serving in any military. I wanted my six-year-old daughter to have some age-appropriate understanding of the holiday. We’ve recently watched the Chronicles of Narnia series and there is some element of war in each movie that she could relate to. Aslan and the White Witch. The best way I could describe it to her was there are no winners and losers in war. Everyone loses because life is lost in the conflict. Good and bad. Right and wrong are all perspectives. Alive and dead is the only concrete and tangible concept we can likely all agree on. Today we grieve and honor the dead.
It’s a funny holiday. On one hand it feels right to celebrate the freedoms that all the soldiers gave their lives to uphold. And on the other hand, it’s not a day that I associate with celebration. Some people are having barbeques at the lake with all their friends and others are visiting grave sites for friends who didn’t make it Home. It’s a mixed bag.
However you find yourself participating with this day, see if you can find some space, even just a moment, to remember all those who have lost their lives to help make today possible.