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May
Thanks for the Memories Or: Today is the Future
Some of you enlisted, some were drafted, and some
stood on the shoreline or at the airport greeting
and saying goodbye as they left for peril lands or
returned from life-risking experiences. Memorial by
definition is something serving to preserve
remembrance, a commemorative of or relating to
memory. A memory is the power or process of
reproducing or recalling what has been learned and
retained especially through associative mechanisms.
Memorial Day is all these things and it is
dedicated to the Veterans.
Many people observe Memorial Day, the last
Monday of May, by visiting cemeteries and memorials
and laying flowers on stone markers, and raising
their eyes to heaven. Another tradition is to hoist
the flag of the United States at half-staff from
dawn until noon local time. Volunteers often place
American flags on each grave site at National
Cemeteries.
For many Americans, the central event is
attending one of the thousands of parades held on
Memorial Day in cities all over the country. Most
feature marching bands and an overall military
theme with the National Guard and other servicemen
participating along with young and old veterans and
military vehicles from various wars.
‘Thanks for the Memory’, sang the
super NCO trouper Bob Hope as he visited troops
around the world for many years. He could sing that
today and it would still be fresh and new.
For others, Veterans Memorial Day is like
Thanksgiving Day. Thanks for the GI Bill that
allowed me to get a decent education and thus a
decent job when I returned from duty. Thanks for
the Veterans Loan to help me purchase a house for
me and my family. And thanks for the VA Medical for
allowing me to proceed day by day in a healthy
manner. Thanks for the Retirement Home that allows
me to live my ending years in comfort. Thanks for
all the friends I met from around the country from
different states and cities. And thanks for funding
my travel to cities and countries around the world
I never would have seen otherwise.
Ah, but don’t forget the other side of
Memorial Day … summer. Because Memorial Day is
generally associated with the start of this warm
and generally happy season, it is common tradition
to inaugurate the outdoor cooking season on
Memorial Day with a barbecue with all your friends
attending in your backyard. It’s the season
for vacations, and hiking, and camping out;
softball games in the park; bike riding on the
trails and along the river; jogging for health as
well as pleasure; and just walking with or without
your dog.
“Memories, important yesterdays, were once
todays, treasure and notice today,” said
Gloria Gaither a songwriter and author. Yes, today
and this summer will be tomorrow’s memories,
and it is important to live them well and happy.
“You cannot escape the responsibility of
tomorrow by evading it today,” said Abe
Lincoln, and I guess he was telling us to live life
to its fullest, and if he were around at this time,
he would probably say, have a great and happy
summer.
So it can be seen, that you, as a senior citizen
who is also a veteran or veteran supporter, have a
wealth of benefits that should not be ignored.
Everything helps in today’s environment and
your senior-citizenship and maybe non-working
status can be a positive. Don’t let today
slide by without notice in the future. Today is the
future.
©2012, Patrick
Kennedy
* * *
Man arrives as a novice at each age of his life.
- Nicolas Chamfort
Patrick
M. Kennedy (P Manvel Kennedy) has been a
professional writer, editor, and graphic artist for
over 30 years. He is the author of two books:
How
to Have Fun with
Retirement and his
latest book Being
a Senior Citizen: You rnew phase of life with
many questions looking for
answers. He
currently works from Boise, Idaho. In the past he
has worked from Seattle, Indianapolis, and Las
Vegas. He keeps busy because he knows it is
important when writing or editing any material with
a particular objective in mind, for either personal
use or business goals, to present ideas with
quality, clarity and accuracy. He can do that, and
he does most of it himself, but he occasionally
must call upon qualified associates for
assistance.
"My Resume shows me as an
experienced professional writer and editor who
specializes in the English language. With years of
professional experience in the
writing/editing/graphics field, I offer quality
services to both individual and business clients,
with prompt and accurate solutions designed to meet
their needs, and online editing services and
writing services for easy and quick results.
www.abetterword.com
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