Honoring 250
Memorial Day is coming up soon, and I wanted to take some time to reflect on our country’s 250th anniversary with respect to the memory and service of all of our veterans. Imagine being part of the Revolutionary War that gained our independence. Then continue to remember and reflect on all that has happened since then. There are several ways to join the country in celebrating some of these events.
There is history to be made this year. For the first time ever, the Times Square ball will drop; hopefully it will be televised for all of us to see.
Also, they are putting the 250th time capsule into Independence Hall in Philadelphia. And there is a partnership with the Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library to stage a celebration of the American West, honoring not only Theodore Roosevelt but also the frontier that forged the country. The committee set up to help us celebrate this event has asked for us to form a block party, donate service hours, and possibly have a remembrance time on July 5.
I think remembering could start with Memorial Day, a day in which we honor the people who have died while serving our country in the military. It started in the Civil War, when people placed flowers on graves. They made this a federal holiday in 1971 and place a wreath on the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Arlington, Virginia. It marks the start of summer for most of us in the U.S.
BBQ, grilling and family time start to bring happy picnics and new memories. Maybe this year, as you think about all of the visionaries who have let us use this great land, you might try some food that frontiersmen would have eaten, such as bison jerky or mushrooms, and tell stories that might have been passed down through your generations. In our family, my grandfather lived during the Civil War era, and they had a boy who hid in a well and came out at night to hunt for food with a sheet on him. Everyone thought there was a ghost from the graves. My father-in-law flew B-29s, and my husband worked on planes.
In more modern times, we were waiting to welcome home our oldest son coming from National Guard duty, and we waited more than an hour only to find out he walked by all of us and wondered why no one was there to greet him. And my youngest son was in Iraq, learning what sand was. He welcomed all the care packages sent from groups such as Operation Quiet Comfort in Plymouth. We also have to think of Quilts of Valor, who gave two of our family handmade quilts and have given more than 25,000 nationwide. We didn’t lose any of our immediate family in the different wars, but many of our friends did, and I always like to think about them sacrificing the most precious gift — their lives — for our freedoms.
I think it is a great time to think of what changes our country has made in the last 250 years. So let’s plan our picnics and family reunions and please take the time to appreciate all of the different sacrifices that have been made so we can enjoy this great country. Expressing opinions for change is never easy, but look at all the change our country has been through. So if you can plan a block party, share with your neighbors. If you can give service hours to clean a park or help a friend, do it! I hope there are as many people in Times Square as we see on New Year’s Day, celebrating our 250th year. What would you have put in the time capsule if you were asked to contribute?
At the New Kitchen Store, we can help with your picnics and parties. We have condiments, jellies, BBQ sauce, bison jerky, chocolate, coffee, tea and many more foods. We also have a variety of napkins, bowls and other decorative items to help celebrate Memorial Day, the Fourth of July and other holidays and family times. Shop online or call us to place an order. Happy holidays! God bless America!
New Kitchen Store, 1100 Roosevelt Road, Walkerton, IN 46574 574-586-2745
