Memorial Day

It is Memorial Day weekend.  The unofficial start to summer and the unofficial beginning of the end of the school year. 

Friday we had Sports Day at our school which is always such an amazing day for our students.  Despite the sunscreen, I still managed to obtain a healthy red glow on my face and arms.  In the afternoon, our Follett rep visited the school.  He was very interested in our un-deweying project. I gave him a personal tour of the library and how we were able to set location fields into Destiny.  He asked me if I was tired of repeating all these things over and over and I could honestly answer that I was not.  I really am thrilled by the whole project and the results. He appeared to be very excited about the project as well. Bob and I discussed ebooks and pondered how we can take some of the knowledge gained through this un-dewey process and channel it into a successful ebook campaign.  I know what my brain will be pondering in a few weeks.

But right now, it's almost Memorial Day.  So I wanted to share my "favorite" Memorial Day book with you.  Eve Bunting has written a beautiful story entitled, "The Wall".

Each year, I have the painful pleasure of sharing this with my students.  On good days, I can get through it with just a catch in my voice.  On not so good days, a tear may fall.  Either way, it is inevitable that someone will ask me if I am ok and I will share with them my own personal story of The Wall.  I will share with them that on Panel W27, Line 55 is the name of a very special person to me.  A person I never had the pleasure of meeting, my father,  PFC Guy T. Fletcher, Jr.

My father was killed in action on April 11, 1969 just 10 days after arriving in Viet Nam. He was 20 years old.  I was -3 months old (my mother was 6 months pregnant with me- their first child). To this man, I owe my life even though we have never met.  At this point, not only have I lived twice as long as he had but my own child has lived longer, than he ever did, as well.

While I do not share all these details with my students, I do share that I can make a personal connection to the story and I share about how it felt the first time I visited The Wall with my own son and why this is such a special book to me.

This year, I did not get to share the story with my students.  Time is racing by.  And yet, several little ones asked if I was going to read "that special story about your dad's wall".  How sweet of them to remember.  How touching for them to continue to make that connection. 

So Happy Memorial Day!  However you choose to spend it, and whomever you choose to spend it with, I hope you take a moment to remember someone who gave their all and, if you get a chance, check out Eve Bunting's poignant book.