Saturday, May 29, 2010

Memorial Day 2010

Happy Memorial Day, when I was a young man, I did not understand this holiday.  It is a holiday of remembrance and while I am a proud Army veteran and my brother and father are Air Force veterans we were fortunate and lost neither life nor limb in a foreign war or engagement.  Nonetheless both my brother and I served during the closing years of the Viet Nam war, my brother served in Thailand and I served with guys who had "cycled-back from Vietnam,"with the armored division I was assigned to that ended up in Augsburg, West Germany. 

As I have grown older and days and time seem finite, I understand loss and genuine grieving.  Once upon a time, Memorial Day was about picnics, and an extra day off of work.  The launch of the Summer vacation--to me, today, I am very sad and pensive.  I think of my relatives and friends who are passed, and the men and women in uniform. 

I am grateful for this life with all of its uncertainties and the freedom to talk about how the world should be and a vision of justice and integrity and peace, if only in my heart. 

God bless you and your family this Memorial Day weekend.  Regular posting will resume on Tuesday.

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