It's amazing, when you think about, the number of days and months that are set aside each year to help call attention to various parts of our lives.
Some are a little silly, and some carry a great significance.
We all, for example, know that the recognition of Memorial Day is the last Monday in May (or, if you really are traditional, May 30.) Labor Day, meanwhile, is the first Monday in September. And while the Fourth of July is obvious, we know Christmas Day will fall on Dec. 25 and be followed by New Year's Day, which comes on Jan. 1.
Valentine's Day is Feb. 14, and Martin Luther King Jr. Day is celebrated on the third Monday in January, which always falls close to his actual birthday of Jan. 15, 1929. And, we remember that Veterans Day is Nov. 11.
Many of the days we set aside each year are to commemorate an historic event — such as Pearl Harbor Day on Dec. 7 — which makes sense. And, because we are Americans and just enjoy a good party, we also celebrate Cinco de Mayo, which marks the Mexican Army's victory over the French Empire at the Battle of Puebla, on May 5, 1862.
Pick a favorite food, event, pet or activity, and it's almost certain there's a day on the calendar set aside for recognition.
Jan. 1, for example, not only is New Year's Day, but National Hangover Day, which might or might not be appropriate, depending on how you spent New Year's Eve.
National Pizza Day is Feb. 9, National Hamburger Day is May 28 and National Ice Cream Day is July 18. Those are followed by National Hot Dog Day on July 22. National Beer Day is marked on April 7, National Gin and Tonic Day on April 9, National Bourbon Day on June 14 and National Scotch Day on July 27. National Steak Day is April 25, and National Cheesecake Day is July 30.
There are so many things to remember that some days have two celebrations. April 22, for instance, was Earth Day and National Beagle Day, a salute to the wonderful hound with the melodious bay.
It should not come as a surprise, then, that Rotary has a set of its own themes for each month of the year. In August, the theme was membership and new club development. September's theme was basic education and literacy, October's economic and community development, November's Rotary Foundation, December's disease prevention and treatment, January's vocational service, February's peace and conflict prevention and resolution, March's water and sanitation and April's maternal and child health.
The theme for May is youth service, and the theme for June is Rotary Fellowships.
May's theme is very appropriate for our club this year — we will be recognizing area young people this month through our annual scholarship program. The process has been very different this year because of all of the COVID-19 restrictions, but club members have, once again, stepped up to ensure we can recognize students who have been successful in high school with money that certainly will help them as they head to college.
We'll have the chance to meet them and learn a little more about each of them during a future meeting. That will serve as another reminder that Rotary Opens Opportunities.