Baum Family Plot, Woodlawn Cemetery, Indianola, Illinois
Memorial Day has always been a day of remembering for me. My family prepared for the day by decorating the final resting places of loved ones. Mother and Aunt Helen would split the cost and energy of buying and planting flowers in Indianola, Illinois. Mom had the sad job of filling the urns and trimming the plot in Spring Hill Cemetery in Danville that had room for many but held only the remains of my sister who died of cancer at age 5. We visited graves and I heard stories about great grandparents and other relatives that had played important roles in my parent's lives. Dad might talk some about World War II, but never with many details. The discussion was mostly about the end of the war, not the horrors of battle. There is a video that is terrific taken of VJ Day, when the Japanese surrendered to Allied Forces in WWII. It is well worth the watch (be sure to turn up the sound...the link is below the picture)
The rest of Memorial Day was all about celebration. School was over. The swimming pool was open. There were parades and pony rides for little kids. The air of every neighborhood smelled of charcoal, hamburgers and hot dogs. Summer had started.
I think that the whole idea of Memorial Day is about remembering and telling stories. We will forget about the great lives and sacrifices made if this process is not honored. Each generation loses something of the one that went before. That is the way of things. More is lost, however, if we fail to pass on personal memories of family, friends and life that "used-to-be". It is a way to connect with our roots and a reminder of who we are. Moreover, this is an opportunity for coming home. Our long journey from place to place, person to person and experience to experience, can be tiring and overwhelming. Memorial Day gives us the chance to return to the familiar. There might not be a way to physically return to the places that we called home. We might not be able to visit or decorate the resting place of our ancestors. But, what a great time to pull out old family photo albums and tell the children and grandchildren about our loved ones who are gone. Let's spend some good time together by remembering this Memorial Day.
