Memories on Memorial Day

 

"Old friends pass away, new friends appear. It is just like the days. An old day passes, a new day arrives. The important thing is to make it meaningful: a meaningful friend - or a meaningful day." Dalai Lama

"It is crucial to be mindful of death - to contemplate that you will not remain long in this life." Dalai Lama

Today is Memorial Day here in the United States. It is a day we set aside to remember the brave men and women in our armed forces. Today I am thinking of the four people in my family who were involved in World War II: my Dad, my Uncle Gene, my Uncle Bud, and my Aunt Hazel. I don't want to think about them with sadness today. I want to remember them with joy and humor.

My Dad had a very droll and off the wall sense of humor. It is where I inherited my sense of humor from. My niece reminded of an incident that involved Dad and Uncle Bud. I was the first person in my family to graduate from college. I was the first female in my Mom's huge family to graduate. My Uncle Bud was so proud of me and he came out to my graduation in Denver, Colorado. My Uncle was a good man but like many of his generation he was prejudiced against non-whites. Now me I'm color blind when it comes to that and it happens that my date for the Senior Dinner was the editor of the college newspaper that I worked on who happened to be black. My Dad "forgot" to remind my Uncle how quickly alcohol can hit the old brain in high altitudes if you haven't acclimated to that altitude. Dad figured that getting my Uncle looped was better then listening to him spout racial slurs. The drinks made Uncle Bud quite mellow and he ignored the fact that Tom was black after a while.

My Uncle Gene, according to his sisters, was a rotten little kid. My poor Mom was his favorite target. When he was in the Veteran's Home near the end of his life we would drive up and pick up Mom's older sister and go visit him. Mom would have me make cards on my computer that would remind him of when they were kids and the stunts he pulled. You could see the mischief in his eyes as he read those cards and could tell he wasn't one bit sorry about all the things he pulled on Mom. Definitely a rotten little kid even as an adult. Uncle Gene didn't have much of an education and worked mainly at janitorial type jobs. He too was proud when I graduated from college and sent me some hard earned money as a gift. He wanted me to get something special with it. It turns out that a friend at college had taught me how to knit and I bought yarn to make an afghan. There were five colors, a multicolored yarn in reds, yellows, gold, and oranges and solid color yarns in ruby red, yellow, gold, and orange. When I finished the afghan I took a picture and sent it to Uncle Gene. Every time I use that afghan I think of him.

My Aunt Hazel was my role model in life. She showed me that a woman could achieve what she wanted and that life didn’t have to be unfulfilled just because a woman wasn't married. Aunt Hazel was always taking off for trips all over the world and when she retired from her job as a legal secretary she started doing Senior Hostel Trips where she visited parts of the world and studied things at the country she was in. One of my fondest memories was visiting her one evening before she and her sisters made a trip to Germany. I had minored in German and Hazel had bought a phrase book and wanted me to teach her how to pronounce German correctly. It turns out that she had purchased a phrase book that was made in England. The evening ended with us both in fits of giggles as we were happily translating phrases about English tea and the bonnet and boot of the car. One thing I will never forget is the fact that Aunt Hazel was so proud of me when I was running my science fiction conventions. It still gives me a glow to realize that to my hero I was a hero too.

So for Dad, Uncle Gene, Uncle Bud and Aunt Hazel I send my love on this Memorial Day. The picture is also called Memorial Day.

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