Memorial Day 2025

As we approach Memorial Day, 2025, I am reminded of one of my most profound medicine journeys.  It took place on Memorial Day weekend in 2023. The ceremony wasn’t scheduled that way intentionally. The date had been shifted, and I hadn’t thought about what weekend it was. But the universe often arranges things with deeper meaning than we realize.

On the drive to the ceremony, I heard radio ads for Memorial Day mattress sales and cookouts. I felt a wave of cynicism. Have we forgotten what this day is for? Memorial Day is not a holiday. It’s a for reflection and reverence. A day to honor those who never came home.

During that journey, I was invited through the wisdom of the medicine to sit with the full weight of war’s consequences. The loss of life. The ruptures in families. The unhealed grief that we, as a culture, often avoid.

As we approach this weekend, my thoughts extend not only to those we’ve lost but to those still with us—veterans walking quietly among us, and the families who serve alongside them. Long deployments, turbulent homecomings, and the invisible scars left behind ripple far beyond the outposts or the ready rooms.

How you can help:

At Meridian Passage, I speak often of healing in layers. Grief is no different. If you feel called, let this day be more than remembrance to acknowledge that grief. Let it also be a call to action. Support a veteran. Reach out to a spouse or child who has quietly borne the weight. Acknowledge them.

You can give through presence, care, or contribution. Two organizations I support are No Fallen Heroes and Bridge Back Project. Local groups like AMVETS and the VFW also do meaningful grassroots work. What matters most isn’t where you give—but that you give.

Because healing doesn’t only happen in ceremonies or clinics. Sometimes it begins with remembrance and continues through sustained connection.