Remember and Honor

Memorial Day 2018

At this time of year, the occasional meme surfaces that seems to imply that enjoying this particular three-day weekend with barbecues and outdoor activities is somehow shallow and disrespectful. I disagree. It's true that a reminder of the solemn purpose for this holiday is in order, but after taking some time to reflect upon the sacrifices made in our behalf, I believe that those who gave all to protect our freedoms would approve of families and friends joining together to celebrate the liberties they assured for us.

I'm sure I've said this in previous posts, but I've been incredibly blessed to have never lost anyone I've known to military service. Even during the Vietnam years, when I was a teenager and so many young men were sacrificed, I only knew one person who served in Vietnam. That was my former boyfriend, but he wasn't deployed until after we broke up, so I didn't even hear about it until years later. Several of my uncles and cousins have served in various periods, from World War II to peace-time efforts, but all returned home whole and healthy. That's a blessing on which I reflect often, especially at this time of year. So many other families have suffered losses I can't even imagine.

Speaking for my own family, we deeply honor all who choose to serve this great country, including both veterans and those who gave their "last full measure of devotion." That choice reflects the greatest courage and dedication a man or woman can offer to the nation they love. God bless each one and the families and friends who share them with us.

May 27, 2018: After dinner, a rousing game of Star Wars Monopoly.

Jake takes his turn while Chris and Sarah watch.

Our family gathering to remember Memorial Day wasn't much different than our usual Sunday family dinner. In acknowledgment of the holiday, however, we made sure that each local family member joined in. I think it's important that everyone possible be together to remember these special times. For the past several weeks, Dylan has been working the 1:00 to 10:00 p.m. shift, so we had to coordinate our efforts to align dinner time with his "lunch hour" at work. And, since his car broke down on Friday, Sarah volunteered to pick him up and take him back.

Mark did barbecue some hot dogs for us, and we ate chili dogs with shredded cheese, chopped onion, and diced tomato, along with chips and dip on the side. After Sarah took Dylan back to work, we enjoyed a fun game of Star Wars Monopoly, which was won by the Rebellion (Sarah and me), acting as Finn and Luke Skywalker, by owning the most Rebel bases on eight planets. We soundly defeated the Dark Side (Jake and Chris), who took on the roles of Kylo Ren and Darth Vader.

A closeup of our game in progress.

I seemed to spend a lot of time in jail (galactic prison?), but I owned so many bases that I collected a lot of rent and finished with the most money. Sarah, though, was the big winner. She owned eight bases, whereas I only owned seven, and it's the bases owned that determine the victor. Mark, who isn't much of a board-game player (preferring card games), watched TV while we battled it out in the kitchen.

Decadent fudge-swirl, double-chocolate brownies for dessert.

Or, as Dylan likes to call it, diabetes-in-a-pan.

We ended the evening with some extra-gooey brownies (my favorite kind) before everyone went on their way. We sent some home for Dylan, too, to enjoy after he got off work. It was a fun evening. I'm thankful that we live in a nation where we're blessed to enjoy days like this!