Memorial Day (part I)

This will be quick … I’ll have more to say later. At just about the last minute, I was asked to play Taps for the town of Durham’s Memorial Day events, so I’ll be heading out a bit earlier than I might have.

I hope that you take some time today to think about and thank the people who gave so much to help keep this country free. Regardless of politics, these men and women deserve our respect and our thanks.

For those in New Hampshire, especially in the Seacoast area, if you’ve heard of the “MUB” on the campus of UNH in Durham, please think about what the name means. That’s short for Memorial Union Building. The building is a memorial to the men and women of NH who have died in the nation’s service … and inside is a room with the name of every single NH veteran who died in service. If you haven’t checked it out, then you should.

Wherever you are, there’s something … whether it’s that old state in the middle of town that no one ever notices or a long-ignored cemetery. Please, take some time today.

As Americans, of course, we’ve managed to take a serious occasion and make it into a day for cookouts and beer. I ask that you take a break from that, and think and consider what it cost others so that we would even have Memorial Day.