Tea Time
Memorial Day is often viewed as the unofficial start of summer. Visions of barbeques, beaches, busy travel and time with loved ones come to mind. At it’s core, though, it is a meaningful time to honor those who passed while serving our country.
We can enjoy our holiday weekend while staying rooted in gratitude and rememberance. Here’s some thoughtful ways to do both.
- Share a story of service. If someone in your family or community served who is no longer with us, post about them through social media. This can be a beautiful way to pay tribute to your loved one who served, while also honoring all who have served.
- Pause for the National Moment of Rememberance. At 3:00pm local time on Memorial Day, Americans are encouraged to observe a moment of silance. Wherever you are at that time, you can take a moment to reflect and thank those whose lives have been lost in service to our country. Maybe one of them is someone you knew, a member of your family or a friend.
- Visit a Memorial or Veterans Cemetary. You can bring a flower, a small flag, or some other token of rememberance to leave behind and walk the grounds.
- Display the American Flag at half-staff on your front porach of your home. The tradition for this is to raise it to full length after noon. This symbolizes our time of grieving and resilience.
- Gather with others by hosting a bbq or celebration. You can say a toast with raised glasses at any moment or say a prayer about those we’ve lost before your guests eat.
- Learn About Veterans by llstening to interviews, reading articles, social media posts, podcasts, or finding a documentary. Real life accounts remind us of our history and can offer education and empathy. We may not understand their life or sacrifice since we didn’t live it ourselves, but we can listen and try to understand.
- Support a Veterans Charity. This can be done through donation or volunteer work. Find out if there are local charities you might want to support.
Memorial Day is about gratitude, reflection, and the freedom we are able to enjoy each and every day because of all the courageous individuals who served our country. We can both celebrate our holiday weekend and honor those who have served. It’s about knowing what Memorial Day is about, being respectful and mindful
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