First Day of Summer

Blog post #191 of 365

Okay it is not officially the first day of summer but traditionally the summer season "begins" with Memorial Day weekend and "ends" with Labor Day weekend.

Memorial day holds a little more meaning for me than just the beginning of my least favorite season (I'm not at all fond of hot weather and crowded public places.) Memorial day is when two of my sons were born. A lot of people don;t know that observed Memorial Day and Memorial day are two different days most years. Memorial Day is May 30th. My oldest child was born on Memorial Day weekend on the actual Memorial Day which happened to fall on a Saturday that year. My third child was born on a Monday which happened to be observed  Memorial Day that year.

For most people Memorial day is a paid federal holiday. Which means a paid day off or a holiday paid work day. Either way they tend to be happy about it. However Memorial day began with humble beginnings. Families decorating the graves of people who served and died in the civil war. Later it extended to cover anyone who served in the military and now serves as a day to honor the memory of all who have passed before us whether they served in the military or not. I believe it is a good thing to honor the dead. Whether it be to set aside a moment of silence, decorate a grave, share memories or honor them in some other personal way.

To those of you who don't feel the need to honor the dead enjoy your day off. I for one took some time to contemplate life, remember the people I love who have passed on, and even a few I am not particularly fond of but wonder how they fare the the next life.

Happy unofficial first day of summer.