Today is May 26, and Google tells me it is the 146th day of the year, and there are 219 days left in 2021. It is the 21st Wednesday of the 22nd week and the 68th day of Spring. There are only 26 days left until Summer. The beautiful emerald is the birthstone for someone born on this great day, and their Zodiac sign is Gemini. What? Only 213 days until Christmas?

The good news; we get to celebrate Memorial Day in only five days. It’s observed on the last Monday of May to honor the men and women who have died while serving in the military— not to be confused with Veteran’s Day on November 11, intended to honor ALL who served—in
wartime or peacetime—regardless of whether they died or survived.

As a kid, I remember the parades; military men, including my dad, in full uniform, carrying guns and marching in formation to music played by the high school band. After services at the cemetery, we stood in awe for the twenty-one gun salute followed by taps. The formality and reverence, plus the belting sounds of bugle and guns, impacted my young mind. I learned it was a special day.

It was also a day, as a fundraiser for Campfire Girls; I dressed in a white blouse, dark skirt, and red neck scarf and joined friends to knock on doors and walk downtown streets selling little red poppies. Back in the fifties, Memorial Day was a big deal.

I spent Memorial Day at the Bolder Boulder for many years, a 10K fun run in Boulder, CO. It has been canceled for this year. Still, memories of musicians playing along the six-mile route, thousands of cheering people in the CU Stadium, and the inspirational Memorial service always fills me with gratitude for the men and women who sacrificed the ultimate for my freedom.

From a mental health standpoint, the takeaway from any holiday is to use it as a day to revisit and revise our thankfulness. Life is busy, and more tasks seem to overpower most days. Holidays are a chance to slow down and reflect on abundant blessings. They are chances to notice more, breathe deeper, and say, “Thank you” to what goes unnoticed in our hurried routines. Holidays are a kind of gift, free for enjoying.

Only ten National Holidays adorn our calendars: New Year’s Day, Martin Luther King, Jr., Washington’s Birthday, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Columbus Day, Veteran’s Day, Thanksgiving, and Christmas. January and November get two, and March, April, June, and August have none.

As Memorial Day approaches, let’s kick back and consciously give thanks for the men and women who mainly died young, the families left to grieve, and the lives we get to live.

Until the next time: Live while you live.

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