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TODAY'S TOPIC:
Memorial Day
by
Natalia J. Garland
Print Version
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Memorial Day is quickly upon us, and then just as quickly it will be
gone. Like many Americans who live busy lives, I find that I must
deliberately take the time to remember those who gave their lives for
my freedom and safety. It is not that I ever really forget: because I
appreciate the bravery and sacrifice of our military, because I see the
images of war and death on T.V., and because I get upset with people
who deny the reality of terrorism. It is, rather, that the demands of
daily life, like the tufts of grass around the marble markers in a
military cemetery, obscure my priorities. It takes a conscientious
effort to carefully mow the grass, place a bouquet and a flag, and walk
away with a liberated perspective.
The government and the
public school system have re-organized our holidays into convenient
3-day weekends which all look alike and feel alike. No particular day
is special. Some students have just finished their final exams, and
some will take them next week, while the meaning and celebration of
Memorial Day becomes comparatively minor. Before we get focused on
reviewing for finals, shopping at the sales, barbecueing hamburgers in
the backyard, and watching old movies on T.V., let us give back a
deliberate moment of respect to those who lived their last day to make
all this possible for us.
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In Flanders Fields
by John McCrae
(first printed in 1915)
In Flanders fields the poppies blow
Between
the crosses, row on row,
That
mark our place; and in the sky
The
larks, still bravely singing, fly.
Scarce
heard amid the guns below.
We
are the dead. Short days ago
We
lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved,
and were loved, and now we lie
In
Flanders fields.
Take
up our quarrel with the foe:
To
you from failing hands we throw
The
torch; be yours to hold it high.
If
ye break faith with us who die
We
shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In
Flanders fields.
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Flanders was a
battlefield in Belgium and France. It could just as easily be
in Korea, Vietnam, or Iraq. The red poppy has since become a reminder
that we civilians also have a duty to be vigilant and to guard our
nation's general welfare. Let us be grateful for the many sacrifices,
help our returning veterans, and cherish every dawn and sunset in which
we have lived freely. (Written 05/26/08: bibliography available.)
Until we meet
again....... .......stay sane.
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