We all remember the big November holiday – Thanksgiving – but sometimes the other November remembrance – Veteran’s Day – gets overlooked.
Big retail sales and car deals seem to have usurped the meaning of the holiday for many.
Like many families, mine has had its share of veterans – my dad and father in law, both now passed, were World War II vets; I have two cousins who served during the Vietnam era; I lost a distant cousin in Afghanistan; and the son of one of my closer relatives is currently serving in the National Guard.
We try to pay homage to their service – I always put out my flag on veteran’s Day, though that practice has now become a bit controversial – and if possible, we try to attend one of the ceremonies.
When I was reporting for our weeklies, covering a Veteran’s Day cere-mony for one of the towns in my beat was a must-do assignment.
It was always a moving experience.
With the loosening of COVID-19 restrictions and more areas planning to offer ceremonies this yea, if you have the opportunity to attend a Veteran’s Day remembrance in your city or town, I recommend it. It will be a worthwhile outing.
Speaking of family connections, I hope you enjoy this month’s feature story of newly-minted author Ken Gagne’s journey to craft a memoir about his parents.
I discovered Gagne – a Chicopee native –and his book, “You’re Gonna Miss Me Someday” in an unlikely way. A friend had posted a message about Gagne and his book on her Facebook page.
It seems the two were neighbors and “pretty good friends,” according to Gagne, back in the day.
I looked up Gagne’s book, and began reading some of the sample pag-es available through the “Look Inside” feature on Amazon’s bookselling link. It didn’t take long before I knew I wanted to talk with Gagne about his mem-oir, and what brought him to the place where he felt he wanted to explore his parent’s lives beyond what he knew of them.
“It’s just something I had to do,” Gagne told Prime. “The more I thought about it the more I wished I had talked to them more about their past, for no other reason than to get to know them better.
“After they were gone, I felt I really didn’t know them,” he explained. As we all enter the hustle and bustle of the holiday season and hopefully, the chance to see family and friends in person this year, Gagne’s words are food for thought. Who do you wish you knew better? Who would you like to know you better? Don’t miss the opportunity...
