For some families, Memorial Day is just a three-day weekend, a day off from work or school. New Englanders finally start their gardens, barbecues get pulled out of the shed, people open pools and summer homes, high school students procrastinate for one more day before finals season arrives.

For many families, Memorial Day is an often painful, always solemn day of remembrance for veterans and military families honoring the members of the military they have lost. Memorial Day isn't just a day off for these folks. These three fictionalized vignettes work to honor that legacy.

Note: These vignettes are fictionalized, but these events really did occur in some fashion.

1. The Fallen Flag

It was only a small vinyl-plastic American flag in the gutter. Juggling her two young children, the mother hardly noticed her daughter had dropped the flag the parade organizers had handed out an hour earlier. To the elderly veteran who noticed the fallen flag, it was nothing short of dishonor.

"Ma'am, your girl dropped the flag."

"Oh, yes." She responded shifting her infant to the other shoulder.

The old man bent over slowly and picked up the flag, dusting it off tenderly. "My brothers died for that flag, it should NEVER be on the ground."

It was a moment of shifted perspective for the young mother. This parade was more than an opportunity to entertain her children for an afternoon.

"I'm sorry, I'm very sorry sir."

"Make sure your girl holds onto that flag. It's precious."

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"Why are you here?" The older woman's harsh tone surprised the teenager kneeling on the ground in front of a tombstone.

"What?" The teenager looked up from her book.

"You're standing in front of my brother's grave"

"Oh, I'm sorry. I'm just interested in cemetery symbolism. "

"That's different."

"Yes..."

"Most people don't visit even on Memorial Day."

"The flags look nice"

"Yes. Nobody's here today though."

"I'm sorry. Ummm... enjoy the sunshine. Yeah."

The teenager left hastily, the treads of her sneakers crunching the gravel.

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It's a hot humid day in a New England church. The sunlights streams through the wavy glass windows, everything seems brighter as it reflects off the almond-colored paint that covers all the pews. People fan themselves, impatient to get back to their air-conditioned homes. During announcements near the end of the service, the upcoming church picnic, the fruit salad needed for a funeral and the successful food pantry collection are all mentioned. A man in the back pew raises his hand.

"Reverend, I know service is running late, but seeing how it's Memorial Day tomorrow, could we sing a verse or two of "America" in honor of our veterans and servicemen?"

The organist pipes up from her corner, "It's going to be the closing hymn, Bob. Already taken care of,"

"Any more announcements?" the Reverend interjects. "Otherwise, let's join in our closing hymn."

The pews creak as the congregation opens their hymns. The organ speaks the opening notes of "America".

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