Monday was Memorial Day, and I hope you took the time to enjoy the long weekend.

I also hope you took the time to reflect on the meaning of the day.

As a musician, I have spent quite a few Memorial Days in cemeteries honoring those who gave all to defend our great nation.

In the wake of 9/11 and the resulting wars that followed, many confused the meaning of Memorial Day, thanking members of the armed forces for their service. Of course, it is never wrong to do that, but the purpose of Memorial Day is to honor those who died in service to their country.

Thus, while folks enjoy the long weekend, have friends over to cook out, or go on vacation to celebrate the unofficial start to summer, the roots of the day are a somber occasion.

This year, Memorial Day came against the backdrop of the Coronavirus pandemic. Not only were many plans scuttled due to the lockdowns we are under, or are just emerging from, the last few days also saw the death toll in this country rise near 100,000.

A somber time indeed, and while Memorial Day has a strict definition as to who we honor, the timing is apt.

Sadly, we’ve reached the inevitable point where the patience of the people has been pushed to its limit and politics have begun to numb society’s nerves toward this milestone.

No matter where you might fall on the political spectrum, or the stay-at-home/reopen-the-economy debate, let’s take just a moment to reflect on 100,000 people.

Numbers can be hard to visualize, so let’s just say we are talking about the stadium capacity of the average big-time college football stadium. In fact, the Darrell K. Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium at the University of Texas, pictured, is almost a dead ringer.

Take a look at that photo. That’s a lot of people. All gone.

The New York Times took up the whole of the front page and three additional pages Sunday to list 1,000 victims’ names, hometowns, ages, and a brief phrase to describe each life. Those 1,000 souls are just 1 percent of the total count.

Personally, I’ve been lucky. No one in my immediate circle has been infected or died, but head out a degree or two of separation, and it is a far different story. This thing is real, and if it hasn’t touched someone you know, count yourself blessed.

Believe me, I know what we are going through at the moment isn’t easy. Personally, it has ash-canned the kid’s senior year of high school and may yet scupper her freshman year of college. I’ve lost almost half of my contracts — half my income — and it is throwing monkey wrench after monkey wrench in my Dad’s plans to move.

We have dealt a self-inflicted wound on our economy from which it may take years to recover. It’s questionable whether that was the right strategy, only time will tell. And, when all is said and done, do the experts really know more now than they did two months ago?

There is a lot to be frustrated about, I know, but it doesn’t take much effort to be polite to each other. To respect each other. And, to take a moment to reflect on the victims of COVID-19. Don’t write them off as expendable. No matter your opinions or politics, those are lives, loves and lifetimes. All lost.

Acknowledging those lives, their loss, with humanity and compassion is the least we can do.

In the last couple of weeks, sports have begun to emerge from society's self-induced coma, and not a moment too soon.
 
It's said one of the side benefits of the lockdown we have been under since early-to-mid March is many have had the opportunity to binge-watch television programs, read or take up new hobbies The flip side, however, is that sports, a staple for many of us, ground to a complete halt.
 
Racing seasons were hours from getting underway when the rug was pulled out. Baseball was just a couple of weeks from opening day, and soccer in the U.S. had just begun its season, while European counterparts were entering the stretch run. Hockey and Basketball were closing in on playoffs.
 
And suddenly, nothing.
 
I know there is a line of thought that sports are trivial matters, not worth the pain many of us feel at their loss. For some, that might be true, but for this washed up old sportswriter, there is a large, sports-sized hole in my life.
 
I’m not big on watching replays unless they are old Philly games, and since I no longer live in the Delaware Valley, I don’t get a steady diet like my friends back home.

Thus, you probably couldn’t imagine my joy when I happened on a live Aussie Rules Football match a few weeks back, and I’m itching to watch some of that Korean baseball.
 
Just last weekend, NASCAR held its first race, there was a golf skins match and Germany’s Bundesliga got back into action. It is admittedly strange to see these events go off without a crowd in the stands, I never realized the role the fans played in a broadcast until they aren’t there, but I certainly appreciated seeing everyone back in action.
 
There are those who would argue sports just aren’t worth the risk. I would disagree. The simple fact is, this is the way life is likely to be for a while, until either herd immunity or a vaccine can put this virus in check. If we are to achieve something resembling a “new normal,” sports need to be part of that equation.
 
Beyond being a hefty slice of the economy, sports provide entertainment and distraction from the difficulties we face. Even in the darkest hours, sports offer hope and joy. If they can be held safely, we all benefit.
 
President Franklin D. Roosevelt knew this. When pressed in 1942 by baseball commissioner Kenesaw Mountain Landis about whether the game should be suspended for the duration of the Second World War, FDR advised the game should go on, because of the many people it employed and the good will it provided.
 
As this situation continues, the patience of the population wears thin. I’m certain many of us have experienced that already. The resumption of sports can play a role in easing those tensions by returning us to some level of normalcy. I, for one, much rather have people arguing over old sports rivalries than some of the alternatives.
 
As spring has worn on, the thought that I won’t be able to sit out on a warm summer night, munching a hot dog and sipping a beer while the “boys of summer” take the field is a real letdown. If baseball, and other sports, can come up with a workable solution to play, having sports on TV would go a long way to lifting my spirits. 
 
I can’t imagine I’m the only one.

​Yesterday, of course, was Mother’s Day, and for many, like everything else right now, it was a unique experience.
 
For my significant, things were a little more normal. Two of her kids could be here to celebrate. And, rather than battle the Mom’s Day crowds in the restaurants, this year we were able to take advantage of curbside pickup.
 
She gets a hankering every so often for a turkey dinner, so my picking up a heat-and-serve feast for five from that “down on the farm” chain may have put me on the good list for a few hours (I hope).
 
Turned out to be a beautiful day, as well, warm and sunny. A far cry for the wind and flurries of just 24 hours before. Seriously, we’ve got enough to deal with, Mother Nature needs to step off. 
 
It’s cold again today, so I suppose we’ll take that respite as a gift from one mother to another. We took advantage of it, heading to the park with the dogs to play a little ball, sniff the air and chase the squirrels. 
 
My Mom wouldn’t have liked that. She hated winter. May is spring. The snow can stick it. Mom has been gone almost nine years now, yet I can’t help but wonder what she would have made of our current situation.
 
On one hand, she was never a big fan of people in general, so outside of her small social circle, she wouldn’t have had a major issue with social distancing. She liked to keep up with her shows, she liked to read, and she liked to maintain her home and flower garden. There would be nothing idle about her quarantine.
 
On the other, she was not fond of disruptions to her routines, or of being told what to do. One-way aisles, capacity limits and the inability to find the things she needed at the grocery store, or simply to do leisure shopping, would be infuriating. 
 
Also, she was fond of eating out. A trip to a restaurant was a treat — because they did all the work, and all the cleaning after. Take out was small consolation if you still have dishes to do when everything is done.
 
This much I do know, all the politicians be on her list. Top down. She would have been nonpartisan and equal opportunity in her dissatisfaction with the powers that be. And come fall, when the premiers would be delayed due to the lack of filming happening? Well let’s just say I’m kind of glad she never had to deal with this situation.
 
No, for me, Mother’s Day with Mom was simple. She loved a nice card and hanging plant for the porch. We’d save the eating out for some time before or after the day, as she loathed the crowds and prix fixe menus restaurants serve up. And Dad and I would make sure she took it as easy as she was capable (holding still was not a strong suit).
 
I feel for the moms out there who had to spend the day virtually with their kids, or at a distance. When we get back to the “new normal,” whatever that may be, here’s hoping all they get a do-over. After all, every day should be Mother’s Day, isn’t that what they always say?