Weekend Wish List

Wow, Memorial Day weekend. There's a lot to wish for. Here's my take:

First and foremost, I hope that everyone remembers those who made the ultimate sacrifice in service to our country. Let's not take for granted the rewards of that sacrifice which so many of us continue to enjoy. They are ALL heroes. My father served in WWII. His father served in WWI. They never spoke to me about their service. They were some of the lucky ones who made it home and their sacrifice was nothing compared to those who did not. To them, Memorial Day was the day to commemorate their fallen comrades, not those who survived.

The 93rd Running of the Indianapolis 500 is on Sunday. Having grown up in Indiana, it was always on the radio and my parents and neighbors often gathered to listen to the race. We always had a drivers pool and someone charted the race while listening (closely) to the radio. I remember it cost a buck to buy a driver in a blind draw. All the kids participated and it kept us interested in the race. I've attended the race several times and have lots of memories about the event. I decided to re-institute the tradition of a race-day party after moving to Texas. Sunday will be the my 9th Annual Indy 500 party. And yes, there is a drivers pool, but it costs 10 bucks a driver.

Here's hoping that Danica Patrick breaks through in her quest to win at Indy! (Update: she came in third!)

You know what? Now that I think about it, there really isn't a whole lot more to mention. Oh sure, I could say something snide about Nancy Pelosi's press conference, or the dueling speeches of Cheney and Obama (Cheney's was a home-run, Obama's a strike-out), but no, not this time.

This weekend is the kick-off of summer. There is no better way to plunge into the best time of the year than to have it start with Memorial Day, when we honor those who sacrificed their lives to give us the freedom to enjoy this and all the weekends of summer. After all, backyard cookouts, weekends at the lake, swimming in the backyard pool, summer vacation, and countless other joys are all enjoyed by virtue of someone paying a very heavy price.

Never forget!