What are YOU doing This Week End?

"Memorial Day" week end. It means lots of different things...

One thing it IS: a time to honor soldiers that have fallen while serving our country.

There are moments that take my breath away...watching a waving flag as our National Anthem is played is one of those. Regardless of whether the President is in attendance at Arlington, or not (apparently he's leaving on vacation?)--the fact remains...people throughout the life of this country have indeed, bled and died in order for me to be able to write this blog, and attend the church of my choice, and, and ,and...I could go on and on!

Freedom. I'm not certain that we take our 'freedom' as seriously as we should.
THAT really isn't what THIS is about, though!

My husband's dad, affectionately and forever is known here as PaPa...(he served in the US Navy during WWII)...to him, it didn't matter what 'week end' of May, Memorial Day fell on, it was always 'the 30th of May!'--and that's when he celebrated it!

He was quirky like that! Hilarious stories would just come out of him, we would laugh til we ached...and when our family is together, remembering him, we still laugh!

But, to PaPa, 'the 30th of May' was a day to 'remember' all that had passed, a day to put flowers on each grave, and to sit at the cemetery in Raleigh, and visit with people that 'came home' to do the same! I don't know if it still happens, but they used to have a community celebration on this week end called 'Raleigh Days', complete with a parade, food, and entertainment. He & Nita loved that time of year, people they'd grown up with would travel just to be there for the week end, to visit! Do people do that any more? That may be a real thing of the past! Papa's biggest fear before he died was: 'no one' will remember to put flowers on mine & Nita's grave'... he could see that 'remembering' might not be as important to those coming after him!

At our house, it's the first official week end of summer--phrases I hear a lot are things like: 'YES, the pool opens' and 'when do I get my new swim suit'.
...these are of little concern to me...but with two 14 year old girls, these are important!!

There are Memorial Day Sales and Parades and Picnics...losing sight of the reason we are to 'remember' is easy in our busy, 'fun-filled' , action-packed lives...even as I write this, I'm thinking of all I must do to get things ready for all we have planned for the week end.

Let's see: a wedding (Congratulations: Ben & Jessica!), church, a baptism service (Go, Clint!), a cook out, PaPa's 'branch of the Bishop's will be together and lots of laughter...yep that about covers it!

I think just 'because'...I'll stop by MaMa & Papa Bishop's graves in the morning early, and yes--I'll most likely take flowers--Just Because!