Memorial Day arrives...and has any pundit used the occasion to offer personal rememberances of what this upcoming weekend meant to them [..besides giving us the status of political issues (gas prices, Iraq, floundering executive, legislative and judicial leadership, and OMG which idol is America's choice?!?) ...] as young people growing up and as adults today.
On this weekend the family traveled from cemetary to cemetary. The back of the car filled with potted plants, flowers, gardening tools and uncooperative siblings exiled for loud annoying behavior. The purpose of the trip was to visit and remember the relatives whose own lives made life better for their children, protected their communities or left wonderful stories with great lessons for loved ones to tell.Once there and in between the games of Hide and Seek, parents shouting for better behavior as children scrambled from monoument to monoument desperate to find perfect hidden spot amid the flags, flowers and graves, younger ones made connections too. To our own parents, to the tradition of remembering, to learning from and honoring the past, not living in it. The folks would then collect the kids and head off to the next resting place. The stories would now come with full nostalgic force, which relative did what when, of weddings and births, pleasant days and quiet nights, of great wars then peace.
Then the car would fill with children's arguments and questions. Who sat on the geraniums!?What was our great grandmother favorite song? What happen to these petunias?!Which great grandfather brought home treats every friday from work?Stop throwing dirt at people!When are we gonna eat?
We are all a product of such family mayhem. Where our parents half told stories of long ago get mixed up with the pressing(food, fights and bathroom breaks) needs of family car trip. That learning environment taught us to take advantage of the now, don't wait for the Perfect. No, you can make the Perfect. Just load the car with your memories, the kids, your version of gardening tools, plants and sandwiches. Then pass along and make some family history at the same time. Have a happy and safe Memorial Day Weekend.