Time to remember those who gave their all

The party is over and the fat lady is about to sing. Make no mistake about it, she is going to have a set of pipes on her the likes of which you haven’t heard since Kate Smith sang, “When the moon comes over the mountain.” For those of you unfamiliar with Kate Smith, she was a rather large woman, a singer years ago, who was on television in the afternoon. She used to sit on a piano bench and belt out “God Bless America.” Needless to say, they went through so many pianos they had to cancel the show. That’s right, Memorial Day is right around the corner and she has been practicing for a couple of weekends now.

That means parking meters, traffic, crowds, digging for quarters and lines that resemble a TSA check-in at O’Hare Airport. Shrug it off now, but by the end of the summer, you won’t remember your address and will be diagnosed with a permanent condition known as drooling from one end of your body to another. It has yet to be named.

There is a transformation that takes place for those of us who live here year round. You’ve got to change your mind-set from pulling right into a readily available parking space to being in a shuttle holding pattern waiting for the countdown.

We know there are many benefits from our summer visitors and all the tourists that descend upon the area. Unfortunately, the only transformation from our minds is to bet on how long you can stand it. What are the odds that you are going to make it until July before the red blood cells in your body have a complete meltdown and explode one night while you are out having dinner?

It does take some preparation time. You’ve probably noticed that DelDOT is on top of things already. They have closed enough lanes on Route 1 to do some minor dental work, so that they can funnel vans filled with screaming kids that have to go potty into vehicle lanes pulling boats the size of an aircraft carriers. Eventually every driver will have to use the bathroom, which is why manufacturers no longer put ashtrays in the car. DelDOT will then take those who’ve made their way into town and use them for beach replenishment. So it all works out with careful planning.

Still it is always amazing to look up and see the crowds back at the boardwalk, lugging chairs and belongings like they are going to the nearest waiting room at a Greyhound Bus station. People spilling on the sidewalks wearing T-shirts that say “Tourist from Hell” will be a common sight. But that’s not the only thing spilling out, since beach cover-ups have gone the way of the rotary phone. Rolls of skin, some looking like a bad driveway paving job will darken your view, often to the point where impending beach goers think there is a storm on the horizon.

And let’s not forget those family get-togethers come with the warm weather. Soon the aroma of charcoal grills sputtering and burning good prime meat into charred black rawhide will permeate the air. They say that carbon is good for your teeth. Not to worry, I stock up on plenty of burn ointment and bandages.

But let’s not lose sight with all the smells and visual nuances that come with Memorial Day, of the real meaning. It’s not just a long weekend or the opening of the summer season. It’s to celebrate and honor those who have died in service to their country. That is cause enough to stop and inhale the beauty of your surroundings. To give thanks to anonymous heroes must be one of the nobler virtues of your being.

So take that pause, buy that red poppy and have a sense of humor this Memorial Day.