MEMORIAL DAY. Yesterday I was in Kinko's getting copies made. I asked a young man there if he had Memorial Day off. He told me know, he missed all the good beer holidays. That made me a little sad. All of our observance days have become party days, since we get the day off from work. But in that process many of us have lost the meaning of the days.

Memorial Day simply remembers those who have died in service to our country in the armed services. Many of us are more keely aware of this since we know men and women in the service in Iraq or other places, or who have died in conflict recently, as Kelly Hornbeck from our church.

History is usually studied by kids who cannot appreciate it. Only adults can truly learn to appreciate the sacrifice many have made. In between beers, or in my case Diet Cokes, today, get on the Internet and read about some of our heros. We speak English rather than German or Japanese because many farm boys, small town girls, and young people from all over this country went to war.

My father in law spent WWII charging up beaches in the South Pacific into withering gunfire. His unit was so decimated, they had to combine it with others. Thanks, Haskell, and all like you who gave lives, limbs, sanity, and time to keep us free.

Let's change the name of these days from "holidays" to "Remembrance Days".