Remember Them

The piece I am posting tonight is one I originally wrote a couple of years ago on Veteran's Day. It fits well for this weekend so I decided to put it up at the beginning of this Memorial Day holiday. I ask all who read it to please take a moment this holiday to pause as you barbecue, sit at the beach or spend time with your family and think about your freedom and what it really means. Don't forget those who over our history and up to this very hour have given all they had so that you may have this day and many more. Say a silent prayer........Remember them.......

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For The Boys

When I left the house this morning, I fully intended to be at my desk by 9:30. I bought my usual coffee and New York Post and got on the subway to Manhattan. I noticed immediately that the train was significantly less crowded than a normal Monday morning. After all, it was Veteran's Day and truth be told I felt a little unhappy that I had to go to work. I also felt a little guilty as I truly believe the day should be one of reflection and gratitude not sales and yet another federal holiday. By the time I reached 34th Street where I change trains, a whim had struck me that I was now seriously considering.

You see, I normally go to a National Cemetery on Memorial Day and put flowers on the graves of those who have fallen in our four major wars. They aren't anyone I knew personally. I just choose them as I walk amongst the stones. A representation if you will. For whatever reason, I missed going this past spring. Now, I was beginning to regret it. So, I decided to play hooky from work, get some flowers and head out to the cemetery in Queens. I grabbed a bagel and some juice in a coffee shop nearby before heading out. As I sat in my booth thoughts of my father, a World War II veteran, flooded to me. Unfortunately, his grave would not be one that I could visit today. He rests where he's been these 27 years, in northern Michigan. By now under a blanket of white snow. Then it dawns on me. It will be 27 years in 2 days, November 13th.