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I have some relatives in Houston National Cemetery, and don't live too far from it. It's a big place; only about 30 acres smaller than Arlington National.

Several years ago, I started a personal tradition without realizing I'd done so. This morning, promptly at 8:00 a.m., three friends and I were at the Cemetery.

The notion is: take flowers; spend some time on the grounds acknowledging the meaning of the day; and then randomly select a grave that has no flowers or adornment...meaning it's probable no one has visited, at least not since the previous Thursday when the groundskeepers do their once-per-week clean-up.

Very hot day. The flowers won't last long. But the idea is the recognition, by a total stranger, of an individual veteran's service.