Jay GreesonHappy Memorial Day.
Yeah, you know what today is. It rocks. A Monday off with cookouts and Co-Colas, friends and fun.
Forget the day job and enjoy a glorious day.
And thank a soldier.
Memorial Day is a reminder of the ultimate sacrifice made by the ultimate warriors who protect our freedom.
It should be a sacred holiday, deserving far more than a flag-waving ceremony or a day baseball game or a backyard barbecue.
Think about it this way: Most folks enjoy a day off because far too many were willing to lay down the rest of their days so America remains the land of the free.
It's really that simple.
Pray to whatever higher power in which you choose to believe, and even if you don't, you'd best bow your head before your hamburger or hot dog this afternoon and thank someone for the American soldier who paid the highest price for your greatest asset.
Yes, these are words that come easily on Memorial Day, and should come far more often because they are far too important to be limited to one day a year.
Heck, they should be part of our daily rhetoric, but our lives are too fast or too consumed or too whatever to remember the truly important things Americans have: families, friends and freedom.
It's a weekend rightly filled with ceremonies.
The Boy Scouts spent a good chunk of Saturday putting miniature flags by each of the headstones at Chattanooga National Cemetery. That was followed by mourners and tributes from family members and strangers alike paying their respects.
It's the busiest weekend of the year for the folks at the national cemetery and they welcome it for the attention and respect for those in their care.
As the Boy Scouts dedicated their time Saturday morning, the second annual motorcycle ride organized by Bill Laubscher was touring the area. Later in the day Louis Varnell presented a historic timeline to further detail the meaning of this memorable day.
Today, as the rest of us get ready for a full day of fun, think about participating in either of the programs at Chattanooga National Cemetery today.
The annual Memorial Day program will start at 11 a.m. at the cemetery with retired U.S. Navy Capt. Mickey McCamish as speaker. There also will be the torchlight tour at 8:45 p.m. tonight on the grounds of the Civil War portion of the cemetery conducted by Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park historian Jim Ogden.
The ceremonies and the celebration on the day to remember are nice.
And plainly, it's the least we can do.
By the "least," I mean the very least. In fact, after Memorial Day, you want to know which day the cemetery needs the most help?
Tomorrow. The Tuesday after Memorial Day. Cemetery staff need as many folks as possible to help clean the grounds.
It's a fitting reminder that we should honor our fallen soldiers daily -- not just on a holiday.
So join me at 9 a.m. Tuesday at the cemetery. Let's remember the sacrifices so many have made, and the day after that and the day after that and the day after that and the ...
Well, hopefully, you get the idea.
Jay Greeson's column appears on Page A2 ons Thursdays and Saturdays. His sports columns are scheduled for Tuesdays and Fridays. You can read his online column the "5-at-10" Monday through Friday at times freepress.com after 10 a.m. Contact him at jgreeson@timesfreepress.com and follow him on Twitter at @ jgreesontfp.