We have started hearing about Memorial Day sales in the papers, on the radio and television. Yesterday's paper was so heavy I could hardly lift it. Memorial Day sales seem to be the main reason for this holiday? I don't think so!
This is a time when we honor our fallen hero's..the ones that died protecting our freedom. Not what pair of shoes you can get 15% off! Have you seen the cemetery's decorated with hundreds of United State flags on Memorial Day? What a beautiful site.
I have to admit that Memorial Day has been a time in my past that the real reason was the farthest thing from my mind. It was a 3 or 4 day week end dirt biking the Coal Piles in Cle Elum, WA. But the older I have gotten the more I appreciate and realize what could have been.
My Father and Father-in-Law both served in the US Army during war time. My husband's Dad was in WW I and was wounded. My Dad served during WW II. He was lucky and didn't get called in until late in the war. He was a father of 2 at that time, had a small farm and worked at a shipyard. They needed him at the shipyard. Then when farmers couldn't buy tractors because they were not building tractors, http://www.livinghistoryfarm.org/farminginthe40s/machines_01.html, he started building tractors on our little farm back in the woods. My Dad could build or fix anything! And did! So he didn't get called early on. But one day he got his card saying he had to go in for his physical on May 19th So on May 19th he went to Everett, WA to take his physical. When he didn't come home that day we really started to worry. (I don't remember how Mom found out what happened to him because I don't think we had a phone.) But Dad didn't come home. After he passed his physical they loaded him onto a bus and took him to Ft. Lewis and that was his "enlistment" day. Mom had to have a neighbor take her to Everett to pick up the only vehicle we had! So Mom had to take care of everything at our little farm. My brother told me he still remembers seeing her laying across their bed crying.
Now that I think of it I don't think we had a phone because we had no idea my Dad was coming home either! He actually got home the very day WW II ended, Sept. 2, 1945. Everyone was going out to celebrate so one of the neighbors asked Mom if she would watch their kids while they went out. Of course my Mom never told anyone no, so she took us and went over to babysit. Someone called Mom at the neighbors and told her they had seen a soldier walking down the road. Well, it was Daddy!
So when you see all the stuff on sale for Memorial Day think about the men that were wounded and died so you could go out and buy some of that "stuff". But I think I will remember my Dad.
Nature in Bright Colors
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