Hey Dad, What’s a Memorial?

Hey Dad, what’s a Memorial?

This weekend we observed Memorial Day - a day set aside to remember those who have lost their lives fighting for our country. As with most out-of-routine days we had the privilege of explaining why I was off on Monday. We explained that we live in a free country but that freedom is because courageous men and women chose to serve in the military to fight for and protect our freedom. The purpose of the day was established enough in Nicole’s mind that there were no more questions.

The word memorial, however, was not a one-and-done inquiry. I think we heard this question no less than a half dozen times over the course of four or five days. Questions from an inquisitive and contemplative four-year-old are not quickly answered. They require thoughtful, thorough, and accurate responses. So began the explanation of what is a memorial.

Typically our first response to a question is a Biblical reference - if there is one. So, we talked about the memorial stones that the Israelites were instructed to leave on the side of the Jordan after crossing it. (Joshua 4:1-3) Since Nicole and Erica spend countless hours reading Nicole’s Bible, that was a good and acceptable answer.

For our next response we talked about the annual calendar that Erica prints with photos from the previous year. When the calendars come down, they become part of our book bin and the kids enjoy looking at the photos, and the memories. So, we described a memorial as something that is there to remember an event or a person - kind of like the calendar. You get the pattern.

Speaking of the calendar, one of the current favorite questions of Nicoles is “tell me a story about when you were younger.” It's a fun question because it causes us to remember back to when we were kids and tell her stories. So, this weekend we got to tie in some Memorial Day memories from our childhood which inevitably led to talking about how Memorial Day is the unofficial start to summer. That was a concept that didn’t take too easily because here in Texas, its been summer since Valentine's day.

Up north, the day set aside to remember our fallen soldiers took on a secondary meaning because the timing of it also marked the start of the summer season. This unfortunate reality may have shaped the meaning of the day, but not the memory. When I was younger, I remember going to the cemetery with the junior high and high school band to play for the ceremonies. It seemed that it always rained. Maybe that was so that we would come off the lake and back to the memory of our fallen soldiers.

Well, it just happened to rain here on Memorial Day which kept us indoors and gave us yet another reminder of what the day really means. For one day we took a break from summer and spent it inside doing whatever we want - because we live in a country where we are free to do that.

Toward the end of the day on Memorial Day Nicole began asking another series of questions like “Hey dad, when does summer start?” And “Hey dad, when does summer end?” It's time to start figuring out how to thoughtfully, thoroughly, and accurately answer that question. The good thing is that here in Texas, we have lots of time to come up with a good answer. One thing is for sure, summer here does not end on Labor Day. Rest assured though, the question will come up, “Hey Dad, what’s Labor Day?”