Memorial Day, 2010

Today is Memorial Day and it is a peaceful and beautiful day! As per tradition, there was the Memorial Day Services put on by the Saratoga Foothill Club at the Madronia Cemetery this morning. I could only get Katie to go with me this morning. Although, she needed to be there anyway to sing in the choir. As usual, it was a lovely service. The cemetery has this section in the middle of the property, where chairs are set up and you are under these huge, beautiful magnolia trees. There were some blossoms on the trees today. I remember one year when it had rained alot the day before. The blossoms would occasionally tip with the weight of the water in them and pour water down on an unsuspecting person. It happened to me once. That is when i discovered that those trees usually have blossoms at the end of May.

Since Katie had to be there early to warm up with the choir, I took a walk around looking at headstones. I particularly stopped to read those that had American Flags. The cemetery marks the stones of those who were Veterans. I found one today that was a Brigadier General and served in the wars of WWI, WWII, and the Korean war. That is many years dedicated to serving in the military.

Today, I have felt a real sense of gratitude for the freedom of this country that we live in. I can't even imagine what it would be like to have a son, or other member of the family, in Iraq or Afganistan right now. Even harder to imagine, is losing a loved one. I'm glad that this day is set aside for us to not just barbecue, but to honor those who serve the United States of America.

I was looking through the photos that are stashed in my iPhoto to find a photo of a flag. This photo below, is the only patriotic photo I have. Sure, I could go online and download a flag and paste it here. However, this one of Scott's dad, Max Wheelwright, gives me a kick! This was taken while he was in assisted living. They had loads of activities for these residents, and on one July 4th, someone came in with a motorcycle and had pictures taken. I understand that Max was the first to volunteer. Also appropriate, Max was a war veteran. He served in the Navy as a photographer. I thank all soldiers, past and present, for my freedom.