Memorial Day Weekend
Fr. Francis Di Spigno, OFM,
Pastor
Here we are on the cusp of another summer! That is wonderful. It is exciting to welcome back our friends who have been away during the winter months. It is great to have the restaurants open, and Fr. Andrew has been patiently waiting for Ferrara's Bakery to open once so he can once again feast on their donuts! Summer is a wonderful time of the year and it is nice to see the Island full of life again.
But where does the time go? Another year has passed. I have heard people say that time seems to pass more quickly as we get older. I know the feeling. According to an article in Scientific America, research at Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich can help explain why. They report that, “our brain encodes new experiences, but not familiar ones, into memory, and our retrospective judgment of time is based on how many new memories we create over a certain period. In other words, the more new memories we build on a weekend getaway, the longer that trip will seem in hindsight.” The report also included, “From childhood to early adulthood, we have many fresh experiences and learn countless new skills. As adults, though, our lives become more routine, and we experience fewer unfamiliar moments. As a result, our early years tend to be relatively overrepresented in our autobiographical memory and, on reflection, seem to have lasted longer. Of course, this means we can also slow time down later in life. We can alter our perceptions by keeping our brain active, continually learning skills and ideas, and exploring new places.”
Whether we perceive time to move quickly or slowly, we know that time keeps going so that is why it is important to have occasions like Memorial Day to stop and remember. This weekend we are specifically remembering all of the men and women who died while in service of our country in battle or because of wounds sustained in battle. We will pray for them at all of our Masses this weekend. We will also pray for their families as they continue to live with the scars of war. We live in a great country. We must never forget that it came at a great price.
So another summer is here! I hope this summer will be another opportunity for all of us to create new and exciting memories, learn new skills and ideas, and explore new places. Perhaps the memories to be created will be of grandchildren being spoiled by their grandparents (or vice versa!), or family reunions, or just spending time with our family and friends.
We give thanks to God for the grace of another summer at the shore, for the country we live in, and for the men and women who have died protecting our democracy.
May God’s Peace and All Good bless you and your families always.
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