To many students, Memorial Day merely signifies a day off school. We spend the day with our friends and family, and even though in the back of our mind Memorial Day is for remembering our soldiers, we seem to overlook what really matters.

On Friday, the day before the three day weekend, I watched Saving Private Ryan, a movie featuring the horrors of World War 2. My history teacher reminded me that Memorial Day was a day to remember the soldiers who have sacrificed their lives to protect our country.

Other than that, I recieved no other reminders of the upcoming holiday and it’s significance. Charlotte Jackman, a sophomore, said “None of my teachers reminded me that Monday was Memorial Day, but I know how important it is to remember our troops.”

We are expected to pay homage without reminders, and be mature enough to keep the soldiers in our hearts without nagging from teachers. As a school and as humans, we need to respect the dedication of those who have sacrificed so much..

Keeping the soldiers in mind keeps us grounded and ready to refresh our lives. The holiday can bring sorrow, but it can also bring the promise of summer.

Memorial Day has always represented the beginning of summer. We see it as a taste of summer vacation that is approaching rapidly.

Maybe there is a reason why Memorial Day is so close to summer. It reminds us of a new beginning and a new normal. It helps us appreciate what we have without forgetting what has fought for us to be here.

Memorial Day is for remembering the soldiers who have fought for us, so that we can live and be thankful.