I’ll admit, for me, Memorial Day often represents the first long weekend of the year, the kick-off of summer. I knew it had to do with remembering military service men and women, and I knew that it was a weekend when my parents remembered their lost loved ones.

I never really thought about it beyond that, and I’m ashamed to admit it. But this morning, one of my favorite commercials came on during the news:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J0MDZHgcBPA

I love this commercial, probably because it reminds me of how I used to feel when my dad arrived home from one of his trips. As a pilot in the Air Force, he was often gone for months at a time, and when he arrived home, sometimes by surprise and sometimes not, it was as if all was right with the world again.

So, this commercial prompted me to look up the “real” meaning…