The Big Three: Memorial Day

The world can be a crazy place. Sometimes it helps to step back and list a few of the things you’re grateful for. I’m making it a habit each week to list three blessings. Here’s what I’m grateful for this week, May 18 – 24.

What I’m grateful for:

—A regular Johnny Appleseed. I love junk food with the best of them. I love my potato chips, pretzels, and popcorn. Saying that, I’m still a sucker for a juicy, sweet apple. Mother Nature knows a good thing when she sees it. I prefer Red Delicious, but love them all. Honey crisp, Gala, Granny Smith, Cortland, Fuji, etc., etc.

Like the saying goes, an apple a day keeps the doctor away.

—The ultimate sacrifice. The U.S. celebrates Memorial Day on Monday honoring and mourning the military personnel who died while serving our country in the United States Armed Forces.

—Laying down the law. I’m grateful for the U.S. Constitution. The constitution seems to be in the news every day. The constitution has a big anniversary this week. The Constitutional Convention met for the first time on May 25, 1787 to revamp the original Articles of Confederation.

Frustrated with the limitations of the articles, the 55 delegates drafted a whole new constitution. It establishes the fundamental principles and framework of the government: the legislative, executive, and judicial branches. In addition, it divides power between the federal government and the states, and protects individual liberties. And boy has it done the trick.

We may have frustrations, but it has generally protected our rights and ensures a system of checks and balances to prevent any one branch from having too much power. 

In the words of this cool little PBS video, “The Constitution tells how our government should work and makes sure the rights of the people come first.” The sarcastic critic in me can think of a few adults who should watch this video.

What gave me a smile?

Oh, Hollywood, oh Hollywood! The Memorial Day weekend is upon us and it typically means two big things. The unofficial start of summer. And the the release of new big-time movies.

Two big releases are planned: the live-action remake of “Lilo & Stitch,” the animated film from the early 2000s, and the final chapter of Tom Cruise’s Mission: Impossible with “The Final Reckoning.”

Film experts suggest that we could be looking at a $200 million Memorial Day weekend with those two movies. In addition, movies including Thunderbolts, Final Destination 5, and The Accountant 2 are still in the theater too.

The film industry would love a big weekend. The highest Memorial Day weekends on record according to IMDB have been 2013 with the release of Fast & Furious 6 when the industry grossed $314 million and 2011 with the release of The Hangover Part II when it grossed $276 million.

Lights, camera, action.

All images by Pexels.