One of the stranger cultural shifts I experienced when I lived up North was the observance, or lack thereof, on Memorial Day. In many areas down South, Memorial Day is much more than bar-b-que and burgers; it's an encounter with personal history. Faithful family members visit the graves of ancestors from conflicts past - literally, their memorials - and decorate them with flowers and flags in a very public expression of acknowledgement and gratitude.
I would encourage you this Memorial Day to make an effort to do likewise - even if the graveyard holds strangers, you are heir to their sacrifice. Don't ask that a low-flying flag or official proclamation recognize the day on your behalf. Go and give thanks.
A S.P.A.R. uniform, WWII.
Picture, Jackson Library, University of North Carolina at Greensboro.
