Today is Memorial Day. It is a day that we "memorialize" the men & women that served in our military and have left this earthly plane. However, it got me to thinking that we can memorialize anyone and anything. It's really just about taking time to remember them.
Now, I am not really one to talk a lot about war or military. I did try to talk my parents into letting me go to military school, but that was really because I thought the uniforms were cute. Girls got these super cute hats as part of their dress uniforms. My father laughed and told me no. I'm not very good with structure. To this day I wonder if going would have made me better or if I would have failed miserably and cried to come home in 3 months. We'll never know...
Growing up, I remember the parades that would take place for Memorial Day. People would decorate their homes with flags and festive bunting. These days it just seems as though it's a day off that extends the weekend and gives retailers another reason to have a sale.
The thing that keeps coming to me though is taking time to remember. It made me start to think of Memorial Day in an entirely different light. What if we begin a practice of remembering the people in your life that have helped you along the path. Remember old friends, family members, co-workers, anyone really that helped you learn a lesson about who you are. Did you spend a particularly meaningful summer with people doing something that helped you learn a powerful lesson?
Unlike the parameters of the national holiday, this is really about you (isn't it always?). Sometimes it's only when we look back and remember how far we've come and who has helped us along the way, that's when we realize the joy of what our life is now. It helps us live in the joy of the now, remembering what was and being grateful for the journey.
The thing is, this isn't just about all of the happy, "wonderful" memories of people. This can also be past relationships that may not have been the healthiest or the happiest. But, they did teach you more about yourself, more about what you need out of a relationship, helped you stop from making the choice the next time you met someone that wouldn't be the best fit for you. I found sides of myself that I never knew existed until I was faced with choices that required me to step into roles I couldn't have foreseen. Although the circumstances are not always ideal, the lessons we learn and the people we become because of it are a true gift of a life well lived.
My call to you today is to take time during the bar-be-cuing and snowboarding (my Colorado peeps), margaritas and sangria (yummy)...take time to remember the many people that have helped get you to this joyful place on your path today. Remember that they are part of the fabric of your life, your path would be barren and ordinary without them. And maybe you'll light a candle, say a quick prayer of thanksgiving or give them a long overdue call, in remembrance of who they have been in your life.
I remain...joyfully yours,
Robyn
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