Memorial Day
Yesterday was Memorial Day, whose purpose is to remember those service members who gave their lives in defense of our country. We honor those who were unflinchingly brave when others were not, those who made the ultimate sacrifice so that we can enjoy the freedoms that we live with each day. Whenever I say “Thank you for your service “ to a veteran or to a member of the military, I am deeply grateful and humbled. Whenever I drive through our small New Jersey town and stare at the hundreds of pictures of military men and women who died in wars defending the freedoms that I enjoy each day, I silently thank them. I stare at their young faces in amazement and awe because they had the guts to serve and I did not. I feel inferior, honestly. That is the purpose of Memorial Day; to pause, honor, reflect and mourn those who perished while serving our country. It is always observed on the last Monday in May.
Memorial Day has also come to be recognized as the unofficial start of summer. Did you fire up the grill for the first time this season? I know that summer is still a month away, but there is so much to do on these beautiful spring and summer days. You can start cycling outside again, play tennis or pickleball on the local courts, hike, walk outside instead of on the treadmill. You can even go for a bracing swim in Lake Skanaeateles, as I did. It is one of the most beautiful of the eleven Finger Lakes in central New York, where I have family. And if you are fortunate enough to have a summer rental house on the ocean in Westhampton Beach or the Jersey shore as I did for five unforgettable summers, you know that Memorial Day is moving day. That’s when renters take possession of the house, as the leases tend to run from Memorial Day to Labor Day. Three months of “heaven on earth”.
Those summers truly are like a dream. Counting the stars at night from the deck, which are so bright and bountiful compared to the stars at home, opening the bedroom windows and falling asleep with the one you love to the sound of real ocean waves, not waves from a sound machine, jogging on the beach in the morning with Bach playing in my headphones. Pure bliss.
You see, on Memorial Day, the entire summer is stretched out before you like a long ribbon. Anything can happen, right? The possibilities are endless. Will I meet someone special? Fall in love? Get into shape, finally master that tough Beethoven piano sonata, do the summer reading I have always dreamt of doing, treat at least one person with kindness every day. To me, it always feels a bit like New Year’s Day. A clean slate. Fresh start. Anything can happen. BUT DON’T WASTE IT. Because before you know it , you’ll be watching beautiful fireworks illuminating the night sky.
Can you believe it? It’s July 4th and it’s half over.
It’s like the All Star break in baseball. So thank God for all his blessings and for giving you another summer to hope and dream.
Next week, we’ll talk about the best summer music, classical and pop.
