Give Memorial Day its due

As a society, we are generally afforded this “day off” from work or other obligations as we observe, each in our own way, a day to remember the fallen. Take a moment, no matter what you are doing on Monday, to remember those sacrifices.

Look at it as a “day on” — a day when intentional observance in Hood River, and other communities, focuses on the memory of people who have perished in defense of freedom.

In recognition, Idlewild Cemetery, American Legion and other groups will be putting on the annual Memorial Day observance (details on page A1).

Monday is a day on which we can focus on what it means in our lives that others gave theirs.

The sentiment can go onward, as well. Freedom and liberty imply cooperation and the empathy, and the broader traditional ideals are best experienced when differences are accepted and respected. Let the sacrifice of our brothers and sisters in arms from 1774 onward in the cause of a greater society put us all in a mind of bridges, not walls. Remember that the love of country connects, rather than divides, Americans as well as those who live among us.

A good time and place to start, or add onto, this sense of togetherness is Monday at Idlewilde Cemetery. This is always a deep and fulfilling event. Go if you are going to be in town, and participate in this true exercise in community.