a different way to remember

My dad was in the US. Air Force for something like two decades. Stationed in Guam, with all that tropical heat and humidity, mom and dad germinated and bloomed me. It makes me sound like an eggplant. But before it was "all about me," there were other things.
I suppose it would be the traditional thing to do, to focus on dad's service -- what he did, where he went, what rank he achieved before retirement. But those things did not impact our family nearly as much as the more elemental reality that in his service, his life took a different path, and that path intersected with different lives, and the connections he made changed everything.
My father served his country and in doing so, the position served him. It was a bridge out of a difficult childhood. He lied about his age to get in. And this opened a window to completely different worlds, places he still remembers and speaks of. It was admission into a brotherhood, an exclusive club he shares with an ever dwindling population of little old men - who always manage to crop up. Mom often shares with me how he gets wrapped up in conversation with some complete stranger, with that shared experience.
If not for the military, my dad would probably have never come to Georgia, would have never met my mother. I imagine how different their lives would have been without each other.
Put that way, I'll be honest, I compare this with my own life. How many times have I gone with the flow, and spent my energy trying to be content with whatever fell in my lap? How about this? When special situations lead you to explore outside your confined arena, maybe that wasn't a blip on the radar screen. Maybe that wasn't the anamoly in your life - quickly experienced, quickly dismissed as not part of your life. Maybe that WAS. YOUR. LIFE. Maybe you should grab it, even if it seems a little out of your reach.
It was true for my dad.
So, happy memorial day. I hope some day that your memories include some special moments, when unique events and new paths changed your life for the best.

--Laura