Some Thoughts on Memorial Day
Memorial Day is kind of a strange holiday to me. At the same time that it's supposed to be the day where you honour the people who have died in the service of their country, sort of a spring Remembrance Day, it's also the beginning of the unofficial summer. The two ideas unfortunately compete with each other, the latter seeming to win overall. The result is that the day commemorating those who died in war in one of the more military-oriented countries in the world is often viewed as an excuse to barbecue. I find this somewhat unfortunate, especially since Remembrance Day is much more of a solemn event in Canada. It being on November the 11th, however, leaves it free from temptations to cook-out and make merry -- at least in most parts of Canada where it's beginning to be winter.
I tried my best to find a way to mark the passage of the day, but was more or less unsuccessful. It seems that finding the local war memorial or cenotaph on the web is next to impossible, let alone whether there are going to be events held at them. There were a few parades, but I find that a less than adequate way to recognize the sacrifices that were made. In truth, Sue sent me an email about a special Mass that she was attending, but I was behind on my email, and read it a few hours too late. I eventually ended up doing what it seem most Americans to on this day -- inviting people over for a barbecue. Perhaps it is in this act of camaraderie and enjoyment of the freedoms that we have that in a subconscious way we recognize those that paid the ultimate sacrifice to allow it to happen. Still, I believe that it would be better to have a separate summer holiday, like Victoria Day in Canada, and have the day to remember the war dead at a time when that can be the sole focus of the day, especially in a country where the importance and cultural presence of the military is felt as much as it is here in the United States.