In Memoriam

Today is the day that we in the United States have chosen to collectively remember and honour our soldiers who have died, throughout our history. We do this by going to the beach, by having beer parties, and by grilling burgers and portobello mushrooms and corn on the cob and eating it all al fresco.

Well, not entirely so, because this weekend is also the celebration of what we, at least in the northeast section of the country, after the snows of winter have melted and the April showers (very sparse this year) have revitalized the lawns and the May sun has warmed the Atlantic, call "the unofficial start of summer." People have been preparing their beach houses and their sailboats for this weekend. The backyard grill is cleaned and fueled, the flowers have been planted, the electronic bug zapper has been reinstalled and tested, and we're ready to revel, to perform our welcoming ritual for a season of growth and of fun in the sun.

But what about the soldiers? To be sure, there are solemn memorial events on this Memorial Day, including one at Arlington National Cemetery, across the Potomac from the memorials to George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, and Abraham Lincoln. And I know that for familes and friends of those who've died in Iraq, today will be day spent with memories of their loved ones.

And today this blog remembers them too. Today I'd like every reader to pause for a moment at this point, and to honour, each in your own way, the memory of every soldier of every nation who has died in the service of his or her country and ideals, in support of their way of life. And I'd like each of you, in your own way, to look ahead to the day when there's no more of it, because we'll have learned how to live together peacefully, and to resolve our differences in other ways.

[...pause...]

Thank you, to all who have served.