Some people fall into the trap of believing a thing has to mean the same thing to them as it does to others. Memorial Day is about remembering the individuals, the "little people" who gave their lives for their home. It's not about the generals, admirals, political leaders or causes but about the soldiers, sailors and airmen and civilians

"Causes are ashes where children lie slain."

Causes are ashes.
Viet Nam vets, in particular, were/are often hated - because of the causes they represented and the causes of the haters, not because of who they were. If a person makes their cause more important than the people, they're doing virtually the same thing as any war-monger. If a person has enough hate in your heart to tell Mrs. Smith to her face that her son deserved to die or simply be forgotten, they're more heartless than any vet marching in a parade. Memorial Day, for me, is for people, not causes.

I planted things in my garden yesterday. I recorded a couple of songs for the Mudcat CD. I spent a lot of time outdoors and noticed the beauty there. And when it was night and the storm rolled in, I watched the lightening and listened to the thunder and the gentle rain; the rain that washes ashes away.