May is a time for special remembrance

By Dinah Dutta, Chaplain

The month of May is special in many ways. We celebrate Mother’s Day honoring mothers, we celebrate nurses day honoring the nurses who do amazing work caring for people, and most importantly we celebrate Memorial Day.

Recently, we visited Williamsburg, Jamestown, and Yorktown in Virginia, walking back into the history of America. I am a history buff. My mother was a history and English teacher. She taught us the importance of learning about history. We studied American history and European history in high school. She used to say, “the rich history of the world helps us to paint a detailed picture of where we stand today.”

We visited Jamestown, a historic site in east Virginia. We learned historic Jamestown is home to the ruins of the first permanent English settlement in North America. It includes the remains of the 18th century Ambler Mansion. Artifacts from the region’s settlers are on display in the Archaearium Archaeology Museum. Nearby, the Jamestown Settlement is a living-history museum with recreations of a 1610s fort and a Powhatan Indian village. We visited Yorktown and journeyed to the past at a Continental Army camp and revolution-era farm, with historical interpreters as our guides.

I know you are wondering why I am sharing all this. These visits renewed my deep sense of gratitude for all those who sacrificed their lives to give us the freedom to enjoy today in this great nation. I want to invite you to celebrate Memorial Day honoring the men and women who died while serving in the U.S. military. While enjoying barbecue, and being safe, maybe you could share the history of sacrifices made with your children and grandchildren. History defines who we were and what we will be in the future. The freedom we take for granted and minimize it to wearing masks or not is much more valuable and sacrificial than we can imagine.

Happy Mother’s Day, happy Nurses Day, and happy Memorial Day!