When I was a little girl, I remember going with my mother and grandmother to decorate graves on what was then called Decoration Day. It was more a respectful, than a solemn, occasion. Using roses and lilacs clipped from bushes in our front yard, we would join other families in remembering the sacrifices of those who fell in battle. Now it is a federal Monday holiday called Memorial Day, and organized volunteers place flags at every gravesite. But the respect and remembrance of sacrifice are the same.

Even though the weather seems more like April, the calendar says it’s the end of May. Local swimming pools are preparing to open, often with volunteer members who are sprucing up the grounds and preparing for another busy summer. College graduations already have occurred, and high school graduations are just around the corner. For Mason District families, Woodson, Falls Church, and Annandale graduate on June 13, Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology graduates on June 15, and J.E.B. Stuart rounds out the schedule with a June 18th ceremony. Congratulations to all our graduating seniors!

You can dispose of unused or expired medications at a Fairfax County Police Station from Monday, May 27, through Saturday, June 1. Sponsored by the Unified Prevention Coalition of Fairfax County, Operation Medicine Cabinet Cleanout provides a free, safe, and convenient way to get rid of old medications and prevent accidental poisonings, drug abuse, and protect the environment at the same time. Old pills or liquids should not be flushed; just drop them off in their containers (remove or redact any personal information on the label first) in a secure receptacle at the Mason District Governmental Center, 6507 Columbia Pike in Annandale, or five other Fairfax County police stations (Fair Oaks and McLean stations are under construction and are not drop-off sites). Pills and liquid medications only are accepted during this cleanout; no pressurized canisters or needles, please.

Cleaning out closets to get ready for summer? A constituent provided the following information, which may be of interest. John Calvin Presbyterian Church in Annandale is collecting clothing, shoes and sports supplies for the Kisima Academy, a school and orphanage in western Kenya. A group from the church will deliver collected items to the academy in late June. Needed items include gently used girls dresses and skirts (longer length), boy’s shorts, women’s dresses up to size 12, men’s button downs and polo-type shirts. Also needed are kid’s shoes in all sizes, women’s flat styles, and men’s casual dress and sport shoes. Heavy duty soccer balls, volleyballs, jump ropes, playing cards, jacks’ sets, and art supplies complete the list. If you have large size rolling luggage you don’t need anymore, the church can use your rolling bag to take some of the donated items on the plane. To learn more about Kisima Academy, log on to http://www.kisimaacademy.blogspot.com/. For more information about donating your gently used items, contact Henry Edwards at 703/409-1172.