Thankful for Veteransf and More
One thing I really noticed today is how your experience of holidays and anniversaries changes over time and circumstance.
Veterans Day dawned as a typical Monday today with the Wall Street Journal arriving at my doorstep, the little boys next door tumbling out of the house on their way to school, and stores open as usual. No banking or mail services seem like small inconveniences.
Granted, Veterans Day celebrates all veterans as opposed to those we have lost, the main purpose of Memorial Day, which always strikes me as more of a holy day. It just seems like one of those more “optional” holidays. I’m sure most people are working and their businesses are open.
Thanksgiving Day strikes me like this too. Christmas decorations are already up at Target and the streets of our small town. We celebrate Thanksgiving with our family including our lovely Indian daughter-in-law and her family, for whom turkey is not a major food so our menu is different this year. This holiday is looked very different to me at times, ranging from being young and single (trip home?), married with no children (dine at the parents), married with children (we host) and empty nesting (we host or travel).
But I am still thankful for veterans. And this year grief mingles with gratitude for time shared with those we have lost, our beloved Indy here at home, and Miss Lilly, the beloved cat (age unknown) mourned by our son and daughter-in-law. As you age, grief becomes a companion along with thankfulness.