There is nothing wrong with an enjoyable extended weekend with spring doing its last hurrahs and summer looming around the corner. I do hope, however, that we never ever come to call days like this a bank holiday. It was the common people who let their own blood for this day. Farmers who put down their hoes, paperboys who traded in their caps for helmets, fathers, brothers and sons and also daughters, wives and sisters. I made my rounds to the cemetery plots to lay flowers and revive memories and more than a few of my family gravestones were adorned with the flags of veterans. My father's footstone records service in three wars from foxholes in Europe to the DMZ in Vietnam and many points between. My Uncle, his brother, who died in Normandy. A cousin who served in Vietnam, and died shortly after his return, a broken man. Two 2nd great grandfathers, both of whom were prisoners of war in the War between the States. A grandfather who served in Europe in WWI. I can go all the way back to the first line of my family to have come to this country.....Quakers who took up weapons against their own beliefs to fight in the Revolution. A great Uncle who survived the Spanish American War and volunteered to serve in the Phillipine Rebellion and died there, but his stone sits on an empty grave in the local cemetery. Yes, it's a day in our family we always remember respectfully.

Thanks Zeffy. I always have my father & his brothers & brothers-in-law, the whole generation really, on my mind at this time of year & again on Veteran's Day, Pearl Harbor Day... Daddy was in the US Army, serving at Anzio & North Africa. He never talked seriously about it, always made jokes about laying telephone line & his buddies playing jokes on each other. I never even knew he was at Anzio until I got a copy of his records, too late, long after he was gone.

Ingrid, you're sweet as always. I wasn't going to post one at first, but then so many were introducing themselves to us and enjoying meeting each other that I thought I would. I remembered your lovely photo from before, so I feel like I could have recognized you on the street or in the grocery store if I saw you, but probably would be asking myself "Where do I know her from?" I'm terrible at connecting faces and names. It's really embarrassing. I'm going to save this post to refer to. It does help, I think, to have a face to think about when we read a post. It's good to know I come across gently in my posts. Sometimes words have a way of coming out differently "on paper" than when spoken. I've had to think about more diplomatic ways of saying things since being on this Forum - which is a good thing. And smiley faces help, too. It really does come down to helping each other on matters that sometimes SEEM like life and death issues. I'm thankful for the ones among us who have the experience and willingness to share. And, of course, I love your garden photos as well as everyone else's. You're always so helpful and eager to share. I appreciate you very much. Sherry

There were 75 of us at lunch yesterday holding hands in a circle praying for all of the 1,207,000 U.S. service personnel that have lost their lives in battle the last 150 years and for their families as well as the 4,000,000+ currently serving and their families. Those numbers are staggering arent they? That averages out to around 8,050 men and women every year for the last 150 years that have given their lives defending our freedom and the freedom of others. That really brings home the fact that the cost of freedom is incredibly high!!! I hope that we can all appreciate that and especially appreciate those that get out of their rack everyday willing to shed their blood to protect us from harm.