Remembering Memorial Day!

Memorial Day (Decoration Day) is by tradition a practice to honor Americans who gave their lives for their country. With all the wars our country has been involved in, that’s a whole lot of Americans to honor.
I haven’t missed many Memorial Day celebrations during my 59 years of small town (Michigan) newspapering.
Let me tell you, that’s a whole lot of watching tykes wave their little American flags, standing at attention and saluting as the color guard passes and absorbing the bands playing our National Anthem and patriotic John Philips Sousa written songs.
Early in my life, we students memorized the Preamble to our Constitution and the Gettysburg Address.
While visiting our nation’s capital, I found that in 1988, standing before Honest Abe’s statue sitting in his sculpted chair, I could repeat all his Address.
It was a great patriotic feeling.
Memorial Day today is another great time to remember Mom, Dad, family and others we love. I guess ma’dog Shayna will be on my Memorial Day list. She was my closest friend for 13 years, but a tumor forced her to doggy heaven earlier this year.
I picked her, and she picked me at the K9 Stray Rescue League, north of Oxford. I say, ‘she picked me? because as I walked along the fence, three dogs took to following my every step. I picked the German Shepherd looking dog. She’d been house trained, had that ‘take me? look on her face and love was born.
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It’s wishful thinking, but wouldn’t it be great if Americans had another Thomas Jefferson to vote for?
Here’s a couple of his beliefs for Obama: ‘The democracy will cease to exist when you take away from those who are willing to work and give to those who would not.?
‘My reading of history convinces me that most bad government results from too much government.?
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A man was sitting reading his newspaper when his wife hit him around the head with a frying pan.
‘What was that for?? he asked.
The wife replied, ‘That was for a piece of paper with the name Jenny on it that I found in your pants pocket.?
The man then said, ‘When I was at the races last week Jenny was the name of the horse I bet on.?
The wife apologized and went on with her housework.
Three days later the man is watching tv when his wife bashed him with an even bigger frying pan, knocking him unconscious.
Upon regaining consciousness, the man asked why she hit him again?
The wife replied, ‘Your horse phoned!?