Sarah said this year that Memorial Day is one of her favorite holidays. I am seeing more and more that Sarah has a reflective personality and she was really enjoying this day of remembrance. We had such a good day. We had a slow start (which was so lovely) and had a nice breakfast and the kids did some LEGOs and Mark and I did some family history.
Then we drove over to one of our local cemeteries to do one of our favorite traditions. We have hardly ever lived near a cemetery where family is, so we love to visit our local cemeteries and adopt some family members there. The kids were so sweet walking around and stopping to talk about the different individuals we came across. Each of them gets a small bouquet of flowers and they pass out flowers to whoever they feel drawn to. They always search out the babies and little ones and it always makes my heart happy to see these little ones get remembered. Ben seemed extra sweet this year. He was hanging back from the group and I loved silently watching him kneel down and dust off the headstones. Once his flowers were gone he would place pinecones or feathers that he found on them and it was so tender thinking that these little ones would probably much rather have a feather or pine cone over a flower any day. Kids are truly the best.
We came back home and had lunch. Then Mark went outside to do some yard work, the kiddos played, Lydie took a nap, and I worked on dinner (and sprinkled in some family history).
We ended the evening with a picnic dinner (which the mosquitos were especially happy about – us being their dinner!). This year was my turn to have the family spotlight. I decided to spotlight my Great Grandpa and Grandma Moldenhauer. I’ve been working on a special project for them for probably close to a year and it was really sweet to ponder and share my feelings about them with my family.
My Grandpa Jack was born in Russia and immigrated to the United States when he was around the age of 10 in the early 1900s. His family left everything for the promise of a better life and I admire their bravery. They were proud to be in America and my Grandpa served in the United States Army during World War I and enlisted in World War II as well later in life. He and my Grandma were active members of several organizations to honor veterans. I admire them both for their courage and willingness to serve.
I love my sweet family. I love our country and all those throughout time who have and continue to defend it. I hope to teach my children to always remember and respect those that came before us – we have much to learn and honor.
