True to form, I’m devoting the last Friday of this month to another blog post. I’d like to weigh in a bit on industry trends, but I’ll keep it personal this time, as full first quarter LIMRA data are not yet out; there are a few developments from the filing pipeline, but I’ll cover those in the report I’ll publish on Monday.
Thus, for now I’ll simply say I hope you all had a pleasant Memorial Day, and in your celebrating took time to give tribute to the men and women who gave their lives for the defense of this country, and to honor our inimitable flag.
Sometimes the sight of the American Flag can be poignant: such as when I saw many of them atop white markers (most of them crosses), which lined the streets of Dahlonega, Georgia one year while on vacation. That town hosts a special event for Lumpkin County, which honors fallen veterans of all the armed services. Family members, if in attendance, get ushered to the marker honoring their lost relative, for them to set a small U.S. flag on it.
And in Exeter, New Hampshire, not far from me, there are now numerous small flags to be seen along the sloping green lawn in front of the American Independence Center, which will hold a festival in July in honor of the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence.
Needless to say, the flag on my golf bag, shown in the picture, is but a humble way to show my patriotism.
The vintage Callaway X460 driver also has significance, if only to yours truly. It was a going-away gift from Strategic Insight before I struck out on my own to launch Soleares Research in 2006. For you golfers out there, the driver has many more miles on it, as I have been tentative in using it over the years, but am improving on that front lately.
Do you have artifacts and symbols with great meaning to you? I imagine you do. I think they can help us celebrate important milestones and appreciate how far we’ve come in life.
