In mid-October of last year, with the holidays approaching, my editor at the paper asked the reporters on staff to discuss who would be working each of the holidays over the coming year.

While the discussion of asking for holidays off would revolve around Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Years for most, for me there is another day that stands above the rest.

Memorial Day.

I know it is still weeks away, but with the arrival of the month of May, it’s time again for me to get ready for my favorite holiday.

Memorial Day has long been my favorite holiday for three reasons.

The first reason being the obvious one; it is the time where the country comes together to honor those who have served, or are serving, in the nation’s armed forces.

While those who serve should be honored year round, I’m glad we take this one weekend at the start of summer to thank them for their sacrifice.

The second reason this is my favorite weekend is that it plays host to the Indianapolis 500, The Greatest Spectacle in Racing.

Like many sports fans, football and baseball have my attention throughout their respective seasons, but for one weekend in late May nothing matters but the 2-and-a-half miles of asphalt in Speedway, Ind.

There’s something about being surrounded by 350,000 fans on a hot May day watching drivers whiz by at 230 miles an hour just inches from both each other and the wall.

Maybe it’s just me.

My dad took me to my first Indy 500 when I was just 8-years-old. It was hot, it was loud and it was truly awesome.

Over the years dad and I, along with my mom three sisters, have seen some incredible things happen right in front of us. We’ve seen cars burst into flames, winning passes made at the finish line and comebacks that defy Hollywood.

This year, dad and I will head back to the track to take in my 20th 500.

And that is the third thing that makes Memorial Day my favorite holiday; family.

As my sisters and I have grown up and moved away from central Ohio, we all keep one weekend circled on our calendars.

We know it means waking up at 3 a.m. to drive to Indianapolis.

We know it means waiting in like to fight for an expensive parking spot. And, this year it will surely mean another terrible sunburn.

But it will also be a chance to witness athletic history in person. And more than that, it will mean spending the day with family.

Now, I understand this column is running nearly four weeks before the green flag drops, but for me it’s never too early to start celebrating Memorial Day.