When I was little Memorial Day was very special to my family. On the Friday before I would stand with my mom in front of the Bank of America with a little can and a handful of red paper poppies. The poppies were made by disabled veterans in a VFW hospital and the proceeds went back to them. I wish I had pictures of it but I haven't been able to find any. I do remember fondly though asking perfect strangers to "wear a poppy". So last weekend when I went into the local Safeway and passed an older lady in her VFW hat and a handful of poppies I knew I couldn't just pass by. And as I dropped money into her donation can I'm sure she couldn't guess why I was smiling so broadly.
My dad was a proud veteran of the United States Navy. In fact he was so proud of his service as a Naval Corpsman that he told us on more than one occasion that he wanted to be buried in his dress blues when he died.
My mom's family had a rich heritage of military service as well. This picture is of her father.Several years ago Carl had the honor of helping to place a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at Arlington National Cemetery. My mom was so proud that he had been chosen to part of the presentation.
As this holiday weekend winds to a close I am grateful for those in my family who served in the military. I hope you will all participate in the National Moment of Remembrance at 3:00 p.m. today. Just click on the link to learn more about this opportunity to remember.
http://www.remember.gov/MomentofRemembrance/tabid/54/Default.aspx
