There's something special about Memorial Day weekend. Sure, it's the unofficial start to summer, which is something I'm pleased about. And so far this weekend, the weather has been summery -- almost too hot.
But a conversation on the train coming home yesterday reminded me that it's about a lot more than barbecue, beer, and baseball games. I sat on the bench with a woman I see and nod my head in recognition to most mornings at the train station. We've never had a real conversation before yesterday, however. Turns out that she and her husband are naturalized citizens -- three years as a citizen, but they've been living in the U.S. for about 14 years.
Each year at Memorial Day, they take their family down to Washington, D.C., and do things on the National Mall and go to Arlington National Cemetery. "In all the countries I've lived in," said the woman of Indian descent who speaks with a British accent and married a German, "I've never known another that celebrates the memory of its fallen soldiers."
I didn't realize that. The British have veteran's day, she said (as do we, of course), but that's different.
In light of the ongoing immigration debate, I think it's wonderful to see that type of respect for their adopted home. Personally, I think that we born Americans could learn a lot from those who struggle and sacrifice to get into this country. I'm not going to get into the fairness issue of the recently proposed legislation, and I'm unimpressed by the argument that "those people do the jobs Americans aren't willing to do"; it seems a racist and disgraceful argument to me. And I'm getting away from my point.
While I hadn't even realized that Memorial Day existed until I discovered I had a Monday Little League baseball game as a kid, I've come to take Memorial Day seriously. I make sure the flag is hung on the house, and I contemplate what others have done for America, sacrificing their lives for our continued freedom. I'm no proselytizer, but I appreciate the sacrifice. And I'm happy to see that others appreciate it too.
Happy Memorial Day, everyone.
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