Stones of Help
I have been known to cry when a military band marches by in a parade. I’ve never known why I do this and usually try to hide it. Somehow my emotions are always stirred at the sight of soldiers marching. I’ve lived long enough to see patriotism be unfashionable and see it return. I guess I’ve always been patriotic. Even during the turbulent years of the Viet Nam war, I remember wearing a pin that said love it or leave it. I was young and probably didn’t understand all the nuances of politics; I was just patriotic. I’ve always been patriotic, I don’t remember Memorial Day (or Decoration Day when I was a small child) as a significant holiday. It was a day off of school. I probably played and dug dirt in the backyard. It was the first Sunday I’d sit alone in Sunday School as all my friends had fled with their parents to their beach houses in Long Island. We had no car. We had...