I always have mixed feelings about Memorial Day.
It's the unofficial start of the summer season, and the first hot weather three day weekend. There are picnics and barbecues, swimming and assorted other fun.
Unfortunately the meaning of the day often gets lost, and that troubles me.
There are fond childhood memories. There was always a morning stop at a market that sold plenty of produce and plants. We would get some barbecue things, and tomato plants for the back yard. We would always get some flowers to take to a near by cemetery where my grandfather is buried, along with some uncles. Everyone served back in those days.
We'd then come home for a little family outdoor fun.
It was back to school the next day, knowing that the school year was rapidly and blessedly coming to an end.
I try to keep myself grounded this weekend. It's a normal work weekend for me, and that's okay. I'll take an extra day off next week. For the last few years, I've been visiting Cathedral Cemetery in Scranton. It's flags as far as the eye can see and that is really what the weekend is all about.
