Looking back at Celebrating Memorial Day

Memorial Day always meant bbq’s, time off of school and work, and a leisurely summer day by the pool. It wasn’t until my husband, who was my boyfriend at the time, joined the military that I learned the true meaning of Memorial Day. Whether a person agrees with the current political climate or motivations for our troops being deployed does not change a person’s ability to not only remember those that have lost their lives in service to this country but to also reflect on the meaning that memorializing has for our own lives. What meaning can be taken from the act of observing Memorial Day? That remembering a loss is equal parts somber recollection and joyful celebration. We honor those that we have lost by finding the beauty and happiness in life. Living well and happily pays tribute to the men and women who have lost their lives protecting exactly those freedoms. When I initially began to ponder the meaning of Memorial Day at a time when I was living in close proximity with soldiers who watched their friends and others die, I would cringe when I heard, “happy memorial day!” or “what fun plans do you have for memorial day?” It seemed that this day had been so lost upon me until that point in my life. But the meaning has again shifted with my always growing education from and passion of working with people who have experienced great loss to now include space for celebrating within the concept of memorializing. While I know for me that Memorial Day gives me the time to reflect and think of the men and women who have died in service to my country, along with the children, spouses, parents, family, and friends that they have left behind, I now too see the value and the purpose in celebrating on this day in their honor.