All right, maybe there is truth in the perception that the older folks get, the grumpier they get. I'm fast approaching my 60th birthday and I'm here to yell you I don't feel like celebrating!

Now don't get me wrong! God has smiled on me and I am in good health. Believe me, I am grateful to be alive and well. I'm a serious guy, but certainly not a grump. Celebrating becoming a year older just doesn't make sense to me. Wouldn't that be like celebrating the field goal kick that missed and lost the game for our favorite team? Really now, do you look forward to getting older anymore than you look forward to seeing your favorite football franchise lose a game?

As I sit here committing these thoughts to paper, squinting through my bifocals and the erythromycin opthamalic film covering my pinkeye inflamed eyeballs, it suddenly strikes me, celebrations aren't always about the good things in life. Celebrations have another dimension. They are also commemorations of events, good and bad, happy and sad.

Take Memorial Day, as an example. Yes, it is a federal holiday and we Americans tend to use the time off for relaxation, time with the family, outings, picnics and so on, but the real meaning of Memorial Day is rooted in our history of sacrifice. It is meant to honor those who died in the service of our country. It was originally called Decoration Day, referring to the practice of tidying up and decorating the graves of the fallen with flowers. Not surprisingly, this tradition began in the South even before it was declared a federal holiday. I say "not surprisingly" because the South has always been culturally speaking, a bastion for traditions of all stripes.

General John Logan, national commander of the Grand Army of the Republic, officially proclaimed Memorial Day on May 5th, 1868. Flowers were placed on the gravesites of Union and Confederate soldiers buried at Arlington National Cemetery.

The South refused to honor the day, instead choosing to follow its own traditions and dates to honor those who fell in the great civil war. It wasn't until early in the twentieth century, when the days was redefined to include all those who died in the service of their country, that the South began to observe the day.

Too many Americans fail to understand the meaning being the Memorial Day observance. They regard it as just another paid holiday from work, a day to relax or plan a trip. What all too many fail to realize is that the privilege of being able to do these things is bought and paid for with the lives of those who fight for our country's freedom, in fact, its continued existence. So when Memorial Day rolls around again, by all means, relax, take a trip with the family, enjoy the day but - give some to honor the war dead who made it possible and continue to make it possible to this day.

How did I get from birthdays to this!