M
12 SARASOTA SCENE | MAY 2018
“For the veteran.
Thank you for bravely
doing what you’re
called to do so we can
safely do what we are
FREE to do.”
- Anonymous
from the executive editor
MAY. I THINK ITS WEATHER IS AS CLOSE TO PERFECT AS IT GETS. Its flower,
the lily of the valley, promises the return of happiness. Its birthstone, the
emerald, is symbolic of love, success and wealth. It is a month in which we
celebrate moms, honor our veterans, and start summer vacations. Yes, May is a
happy month indeed.
Did you know our annual Mother’s Day celebration began in the early 20th
century? A woman named Anna Jarvis, who cared for soldiers on both sides
during the Civil War, started Mother’s Day Work Clubs to address public health
issues. After the War, she wanted to continue honoring mothers because she
believed a mother is “the person who has done more for you than anyone else in
the world.” So true.
After several years of lobbying for a special day for moms, Anna Jarvis must
have been so proud when President Woodrow Wilson signed a proclamation
designating Mother's Day, held on the second Sunday in May, as a national
holiday to honor mothers. However, by the early 1920s, she became
dismayed over the commercialization of the day by greeting card and floral
companies. She wanted it to remain a sentimental day and not have the day
exploited. How’d she do?
This Mother’s Day, you may want to think about really spending time and talking
to you mom about her life, her thoughts and her dreams. You can do that and
still give her a beautiful card or give her flowers and take her to a wonderful
brunch! I promise you. It will be a day she will always remember.
The other special day we celebrate in May is, of course, Memorial Day. It is a
day in which the meaning, unless you or a family member have served in our
military, seems to have been forgotten by far too many who just view it as a
wonderful, long weekend. We can’t let that happen.
I admit detachment from the importance of this day for much of my adult life.
Having no family members who served in the armed forces, it didn’t hit home
that much to me. My life hadn’t changed - my freedom was never in question.
My life was never in danger. I never bothered to put myself in the shoes of a
service member in harm’s way. I didn’t have to. Life was too good.
Well, life and time has a way of opening our eyes and making us see things
a whole lot differently as we grow older. I have such deep respect and
appreciation for the incredible sacrifices our military makes for us – an
appreciation that became even more ingrained in my soul when I visited
Arlington National Cemetery.
I urge you not to make Memorial Day just another barbecue day around the
pool with friends. Try to put yourself in the boots of a young man or woman
halfway around the world, putting their lives in danger with every move they
make. Really think about it. Take your thoughts back in time to wars of old and
the incredibly barbaric conflicts of today. Chemical warfare. Nuclear weapons.
Guerrilla warfare. Would you like to be staring in the face of a Jihadist with a
saber? No, I am sure not.
This Memorial Day, say thanks to a veteran. Place a flag on the grave of a soldier
- any soldier. And get yourself an American flag and fly it at half-mast. You can