November 11, 2012: Hug a Veteran.

Tomorrow is Veteran’s Day in America. In other parts of the world this might be referred to as Armistice Day, Remembrance Day or also Veteran’s Day. President Woodrow Wilson declared the first Armistice Day on November 11, 1919 in memory of Germany signing the Armistice ending WW I at 11:00 AM on 11/11/1918. At Louisa Middle School, we will observe Veteran’s Day on Monday, November 12, at about 8:30 AM because, wellllll…, we don’t have school on Sunday.  This holiday is more geared toward the living than Memorial Day so take the time to thank a Veteran who served to protect your country and your liberty. Also, on Veteran’s Day, and every day, at the Magic Kingdom, Disney does the Flag retreat where the Flag is taken down and retired for the Evening. Veteran’s can request to be part of the ceremony and anyone in attendance at the Magic Kingdom that day is welcome to gather in Town Square and observe this solemn occasion. But, what about the rest of the flags on Main Street USA? They never take them down because they are not official US Flags. Each flag has a missing star or stripe or some other nuance that makes it a patriotic decoration and not an official flag.

And that was your first excuse for the day.

It’s also Origami Day, a day to celebrate the Japanese art of paper folding. Origami can range from simple figures to quite complex creations. One of the most famous Origami creations is Sadako’s 1,000 paper cranes. Sadako Sasaki was two-years-old when the nuclear bomb was dropped on Hiroshima in 1945. In 1955 she became ill with Leukemia, as did many young children exposed to the radiation from the bomb and in February, 1955, Sadako was hospitalized and a friend visited her and folded a paper crane for her. Sadako learned of the Japanese legend that anyone who folded 1,000 paper cranes would be granted a wish by the gods. Sadako set out to fold 1,000 paper cranes but did having completed on 644 cranes. Sadako’s classmates completed the 1,000 cranes and they were buried with her. You can read the story in the popular young readers’ book, Sadako and the Thousand Paper Cranes by Eleanor Coerr. Visit the Japanese Pavilion at EPCOT and find out more about the art of origami.

                                            Statue of Sadako Sasaki and a paper crane.

There are two good excuses for today and now I will finish watching my favorite Disney movie on Disney, Jr., Meet the Robinsons. Love your family and KEEP MOVING FORWARD.

Remember, your best excuse is always: waiting for your dreams to come true.