Memorial Day is the day we remember and honor all the men and women who died serving our country.

Growing up I heard it referred to as “Decoration Day” because that was the day we visited the cemetery with flowers and flags for the graves of our loved ones. Daddy, (George Prescott pictured here and his Army buddies marched in formation and fired off a 21-gun salute. The high school bugler performed a hesitant and solitary solo positioned behind a distant headstone.

We remembered everyone who had fought for us…loved us…wanted the best for us…our family and friends who were our angels…whether it was with a potted plant from the Schmitz Nursery, with a bunch of lilacs from the bushes in the front yard, or dandelions picked from the side of the road.

Today, I’m suggesting that you choose a significant event in your life, a turning point, to remember as your Personal Memorial Day. Wander down memory lane for a half hour or an hour if you can. Be sure to have your journal handy to capture what comes up as you travel that road back to the old you… someone you used to be.

• What was the life experience that changed the trajectory of her life?

• What does she know now that she didn’t know then?

• What is the decision she made at that turning point that transformed her into the woman she is today?

• How has she influenced others by the decision she made on any one of her Personal Memorial Days?  

• Where is that woman headed now?

If you don't realize it already, you have more than one Personal Memorial Day. I have several…the two times I received form letters about abnormal mammograms (last year my third breast cancer incident was announced with a phone call), moving across country twice because of my husband's employers suddenly closing their doors, the loss of my father and then my brother. But I also have had amazingly wonderful Personal Memorial Days…our wonderful daughter (who has blessed us with a granddaughter), meeting many fabulous friends and stepping into leadership as a writer, as a speaker, as a writing mentor, and now as a publisher and compiler of an anthology. I'm living my mission of helping women's voices be heard from the tiny whispers from soul to the finished book in their hands.

I'd love to hear from you. Please share with me all the details of your Personal Memorial Day. I’m waiting to hear from you!