How to Honor Your Loved Ones This Memorial Day
Memorial Day isn’t just the start of summer. It’s a very special day when we remember our fallen heroes who passed protecting our amazing home. This Memorial Day you can honor your loved ones with these extraordinary ways to celebrate our fallen heroes.
Visit the Places They Loved
One of the best ways to remember your loved ones this Memorial Day is to take a trip to their favorite spots. Perhaps it’s a park or a favorite camping spot or a nice stretch of beach. Dress in one of your favorite cotton summer dresses and relax as you remember your loved ones. Make the day about having fun (your fallen hero would want that) and remembering the good times you had together.
Host a Memorial Day BBQ
BBQs are a popular way to celebrate the summer season and remember your loved ones. Gathering up friends and family to enjoy a meal together is a great way to welcome in the summer season and remember those you’ve lost. Thinking about happy memories while gathering with those you love is a great way to memorialize your loved ones through yearly traditions. Dress for the occasion with your favorite capri pants and a breezy women’s white blouse that’s easy to move in as you host. Decorate your space with photos of your fallen heroes and plan some time to let everyone share their favorite memories of those loved ones who can't be there.
Plan a Special Gathering
Some people opt to visit the graves of their loved ones for Memorial Day. Host a special service with close friends and family of the fallen, and plan a gathering at the burial site. Bring flowers and have a moment of silence. Let others reflect in their own way. You can even say a few words if you feel up to it. The occasion can be as planned or organized as you would like. There’s no need to do something that is stressful. Instead, plan a gathering that speaks to your needs and the personality of your loved one.
Set Up a Scholarship
Give back to your community by setting up an honorary scholarship or charity fund. Did your loved one enjoy studying science? Perhaps he or she loved your rescue dog. Think about a passion your fallen hero had either for school or as a hobby then set up an appropriate charity. You can have a fundraiser, do social media promotion, or just email your closest friends and family and ask them to share it with their circles. Each year you can donate money or supplies, or fund a scholarship toward the cause. That way, your fallen hero’s memory and passion are memorialized while giving back to the community in a meaningful way.
Get Customized Home Goods and Clothing
Another unique way to honor your loved ones this Memorial Day is with customized home goods. Be creative and design your own monogrammed bath towels or mugs with your loved one’s favorite saying or even a nickname. This gives you a daily memory of those you’ve lost. You can memorialize them with a custom-made T-shirt, hats, or other clothing items. Create several pieces of customized clothing, and give them away at your Memorial Day BBQ. Alternatively, you can wear them when you visit your loved ones' favorite places or promote your scholarship.
Take a Moment of Silence
Any way you plan to celebrate Memorial Day this year, take some time for a moment of silence. You can do this before you eat your BBQ, at your fallen hero’s favorite spot, or just in a quiet place to reflect for yourself. Everyone processes grief and pain differently, but taking time for a moment of reflection allows you to hold space for your loved ones and their memories. Take all the time you need, and remember, you don’t have to put on a face. If this is a difficult day for you, then give yourself permission and space to feel and process your emotions.
Have a Family Meal
Gather together as a family this Memorial Day. Plan a big family meal and cook your loved one’s favorite foods. Cooking and eating together not only bonds families, but also lets you share in a tradition that has been going on since the beginning of humanity. We all need to eat, so why not prepare a celebratory feast? It doesn’t need to be a BBQ. It can be something as simple as a favorite casserole that your fallen hero loved. Whatever it is, don’t forget to smile remembering the amazing time you were able to have with those you love.
Memorial Day should be about remembering your fallen heroes. Create a memorial that best suits your needs and the unique personality of those you have lost. It can be a celebration of life or a solemn moment of remembrance for their sacrifice. There are no right or wrong answers. Just choose a way to remember them that feels right with your heart.