What Memorial Day Means to Me

Most of America is celebrating Memorial Day today and it provides a very easy day for a workout.  Today I will make it a double; ride 6 miles and run/walk 2 miles in one day while staying away from the office.  Progress….

Today we remember the many Americans that made such monumental sacrifices for our Country.  We all live in the greatest land on earth directly because of those remarkable people honored on Memorial Day.  My number in the draft lottery was 186 and was pulled the first year in which America drew a lottery but didn’t call any one to the military.  Our armed forces became all-volunteer the first year I could have been called.   I must say I was relieved but certainly didn’t understand the level of commitment and sacrifice that so many young military folks achieved back then.  I have come to appreciate them more as I get older, but when I really think about their contribution to our living standards, I often wonder if I could have achieved such determination and maturity.  I doubt it!

Memorial Day is, for me, a time to reflect upon folks no longer in my life who have made a difference including friends and family in addition to honoring those who served in the military.  My personal world has been impacted by a number of deaths during the last decade and each and every one made a profound impact on my perspective and my outlook.  Aunts, uncles, good friends, and direct family members including my beloved brother, Jim have all moved on and completed the circle of life.  They all gave of themselves to me and somehow, now that they are gone, I finally see what they did for me when they were here.  Maybe that’s how it should be in God’s order of things but I struggle to make sense of it all.  I should have known enough to appreciate it at the time!

I will continue to push myself to exercise my way back into fitness while thinking about this great holiday.  I realize it is a blessing for me and something to smile about!

Thanks for checking in.  RGW