“Hey, do you want to go the Memorial Day Parade tomorrow? It starts at 9:30 a.m. We could get our yard work done instead. The forecast is for temperatures in the 90’s starting late morning, and we could start it while the weather is still cool,” said my husband, Mark, in a hopeful voice as he sat across from me in his living room lounge chair.
My head jerked up from my book. “Of course, I want to go,” I said, an incredulous look on my face. “We have to go! It’s not even a discussion.”
Mark recovered from his transgression with a smile and a shake of his head at the reminder, once again, how important the parade was to me.
The next morning found us along the parade route in our northwest suburb of Chicago. We clapped as the vets marched past, many walking, the older ones’ riding in cars. We waved at the sea of scout troops and village organizations, along with the politicians always looking for voters. We tapped our feet at the lively music of high school and local community bands. We both agreed it was a grand parade.
As I stood on the sidewalk and watched the waves of participants, the memories of the enormous Memorial Day parades of my youth in the mid-1950’s flowed back to me. My dad and uncles had, thankfully, returned home after being overseas as part of the US Military in WWII. Patriotism was at a high. We wanted to honor the veterans who in the prime of their life gave up marriage, family, schooling, and careers to go off and as my dad put it, “do our duty.” There was no question of doing anything else on Memorial Day. We had to do our duty to thank the vets.
Through the years, I have learned change is always in the air and so it is with Memorial Day. The holiday has so many meanings to so many people now. We still, rightfully, honor the vets, but it is also a celebration of the start of summer, a chance to foster the community spirit and feeling of good-will and most importantly, the opportunity for everyone to get together, see their friends and neighbors and enjoy a community event. What a wonderful occasion.
My dad and uncles have long since passed away, but I know they would have liked the spirit of today’s parade as much as ever.
Originally posted on https://bookofdreams.us