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On Monday, Goochland honored the men and women who have died while serving their nation.

Although Memorial Day serves as an opportunity to remember the sacrifices of those who have fought for our freedom, I hope that each of us pauses to reflect on these legacies throughout the year.

And for many of us, our personal histories coincide with the history of our community, and our country.

The military has been a constant theme throughout the history of both branches of my family.  My father’s great-grandfather was in the U.S. Calvary, his father was a graduate from the Naval Academy and a Navy Captain, and he himself became a Marine Corps Colonel.

My mother’s father was a Marine Corps Colonel as well.  All of these men served their country during wartime, and all of them shared a deep sense of honor and regard for their country.  They returned with stories of exotic and far away lands, and also with a changed perspective on mortality.

While the men of my family soldiered up, the women donned club uniforms and pins.  My mother was a volunteer with Red Cross, and I remember as a child I felt proud to see the Red Cross emblem pinned to her blouse when she left for meetings.  My grandmothers and mother were members of gardening clubs, sewing clubs, church women’s clubs, Officer’s Wives’ organizations, the Daughters of the American Revolution, the Parent Teacher Association, and served as leaders of various Scout troops. 

Typical of Southern women, my relatives served their communities through their work in these organized women’s groups.  These associations provided tangible benefits for both members and those they served, but at times they entailed a great deal of obligation and commitment.

One of my favorite memories is of a day when my brother and I sat with my mother in Beaufort, South Carolina, as she sold cookbooks at a fundraiser.  The heat and humidity were suffocating, creating misery in all three of us.  After a few hours my mother packed the cookbooks back into the car and took us to a café for lunch and an air-conditioned theatre for a matinee.  This throwing off of obligation when the sunlight beats mercilessly down is also an unabashedly Southern tendency!

I hope that last weekend was a time to gather with those we love, to share stories of those we have lost, and to celebrate the freedom to do both.