Memorial Day

Happy Memorial Day, Friends! We are back from Paris. The kids are in school today (it’s not a holiday here in France), but Ben Blair has the day off so we’re going to lunch.

My mother snapped these photos when we stopped at an American Military Cemetery after our visit to Mont St. Michel.

I find military cemeteries to be peaceful and sobering. So many graves it always makes my heart break. Most graves were marked with names and dates, but some had only the inscription above. Which makes my heart break even more.

I hope you’re enjoying your day off and I hope you get a chance to honor your military loved ones today.

17 thoughts on “Memorial Day”

  1. These pictures bring back so many memories for me. I am American but lived in Europe from when I was 12 to 17. We went to many military cemeteries including Mont St. Michel. I am so enjoying reading about all your adventures in Europe. It is such a wonderful thing for children to be immersed in other cultures while they are growing up. It will forever change them in a very positive way!

  2. Enjoy your lunch with Ben Blair!! I think we’ll make a trip to our local cemetary today. We go often as our daughter is there. Today there’s also a Memorial Day ceremony that will be good to watch. ;D

  3. Very sobering indeed. Thank you for the photos that remind us of the sacrifices made by so many. Love your blog!

  4. Genevieve Gibson

    Thank you for a very nice post. I remember visiting the cemetery at Normandy in the 8th grade and feeling totally overwhelmed by emotion.

  5. I love your jacket in these photos!

    By the way, if you have a choice between Milan and Barcelona for a trip, no question – choose Barcelona, your design heart will absolutely LOVE it, there is so much to do, the kids will love the parks and the cable cars over the sea are a ton of fun! Plus the food is amazing! Barcelona is one of my top three favourite European cities. (Milan is very industrial).

  6. ps. the start of my previous comment made it sound so flippant – I was also really moved by the way the unknown soldiers are commemorated. Thank you for sharing.

  7. I remember visiting that ceremony. We wanted to take pictures, but had a hard time smiling. I’m grateful today for those who sacrificed their life for the freedoms I enjoy. Happy Memorial Day!

  8. I visited the American cemetery less than a month ago on my trip to France. It was sobering, humbling, and awe-inspiring. It’s a beautiful place. I’m grateful to have spent a few moments on both Utah and Omaha beach to remember the men who died.

  9. Thank you for the post about Memorial Day. We have been to those cemeteries and were in awe as we walked among the headstones. Those brave Americans made possible the lives we enjoy with our children and grandchildren.

    I appreciate the time you gave as most of my favorite bloggers did not comment on the significance of the day. We are a recently retired military couple. My husband was in the Coast Guard for 40 years. We appreciate those who stop to remember. You are showing your children that this is an important day indeed.
    Colleen

  10. Thank you for your post. My husband is a doctor in the military. We did med school and residency back east and were able to visit Arlington Natl. Cemetery often. The graves of our fallen soldiers are sobering indeed. Now that we have one deployment under our belts, we can better sympathize with the sacrifice of so many men and women on behalf of our beloved country. We are the land of the free because of the brave!

  11. I remember my first visit to Arlington when I was 18. I was dreading it, but it ended up being my favorite part of DC. Military cemeteries evoke a strange serenity. They inspire me to make the most of my time on Earth, and I crave that dose of reality. Now that I’m all moved back to Paris, I’m dying to visit the beaches of Normandy!

  12. I worked as a docent at the D-Day Museum in New Orleans for several years, including the grand opening. I was humbled to hear the stories from not only my fellow docents, but many D-Day vets that came to tour the museum and share their stories of landing on those Normandy beaches. Just a year after the museum was opened my husband and I walked those very same beaches and visited the American cemetery. I couldn’t help but replay those stories in my head over and over. To say it was surreal would be an understatement. It was heartbreaking to see a tangible symbol of the many lives that were lost and reminded me how thankful we should all be for the people that serve in our armed forces.

  13. Thanks for sharing your trip to the cemetery in France. I think it’s easy to forget sometimes that there are American soldiers buried overseas. This is a lovely reminder. And it’s great to hear that they are getting visits from families like yours.

  14. Oh Man, if I was in France over Memorial Day I would visit the Somme and the Thiepval War Memorial (some of my relatives died at Delville Wood in WWII).

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