There seems to be a lot of confusion over Memorial Day.
Some people go around thanking veterans for their service.
That’s a lovely thing to do, and should be done more often, but they’re
confusing Memorial Day with Veteran’s Day.
Some people are busy wishing everyone “Happy Summer!” Thanks
to the unofficial agreement of pool and beach operators everywhere, Memorial
Day weekend is the first official opening of community pools and beaches. I’m a
little surprised someone at Hallmark hasn’t created a “Happy Summer” card. In
New Jersey, the highways leading down to the shore are crammed with the first
of the beachgoers renting houses for weekends or simply taking a day or two to
swim and lay in the sand. After a cold winter (or really, after any winter),
everyone is dying to start absorbing vitamin D. It’s a fun thing to do (unless
you’re married to someone who hates sand—sigh), but they’re confusing Memorial
Day with warm weather and summer.
Some of us are hosting or going to barbeques. It’s a chance
to get together with friends, kick back and relax and make way too much food
(oh wait, I do that all the time). It’s a social thing to do, but they’re/we’re
confusing Memorial Day with any warm day at dinnertime.
Some of us are taking advantage of sales and going shopping.
Okay, this is not fun, especially if you’re the mother of two teen girls who
somehow need everything even though I’d swear we just bought everything they
needed last month.
No matter what you’re doing this Memorial Day weekend, or
with whom you’re doing it, remember that Memorial Day honors our soldiers who
died in battle. And at some point, in between the beach and the barbeque and
the shopping, take a moment to stop and remember them.
