The Things They Carried, originally uploaded by All Things Michigan.

This photo is from last year’s 4th of July Parade in Constantine, Michigan. With yesterday being Memorial Day and thinking of parades and our soldiers both past and present I thought I would share this photo.

This photo (and blog post) is titled ‘The Things They Carried’ as that is what popped in my head when I saw this mother/soldier marching in the parade. I have read Tim O’Brien’s “The Things They Carried” which deals with the mental and emotional aspects of war and immediately thought that this photo illustrates just that both metaphorically and physically.

She is surrounded by the things she carried.

God Bless our Veterans and current service men and women. Thank you for all that you do.

Memorial Day is a day to remember those who have fallen fighting for our country. You don’t have to agree with the war or the president, but you should pay your respects to those willing to serve in our Armed Forces.
Last year I wrote a post following Memorial Day with the title, Did You [...]

In the midst of all the cookouts, car races, and sporting events over the weekend did you remember why we celebrate Memorial Day? It is what I like to call, an unfortunate holiday. Wouldn’t it be far better to not have fallen soldiers to remember?
This world does not afford us the luxury of [...]