Saturday - May 30, 2009
We cherish too, the Poppy red
That grows on fields where valor led,
It seems to signal to the skies
That blood of heroes never dies.
by : Moina Michael
The poppy's significance to Memorial Day is the result of the John McCrae poem "In Flanders Fields."
The first Memorial Day was May 30, 1868. It was a way on which the living could commerorate those soldiers who had lost their lives during the war - the Civil War. Traditionally, Memorial Day was celebrated on May 30, but back in1968 the date was changed to the last Monday in the month of May! This allowed the Government employees to have a three day weekend! There is a move out there that the traditional day of observance be reinstated! Personally, I'm for that! Why you might ask? This year Memorial day was here and gone before I realized! This was mainly due to a very busy month of May!
Today, Mom and I are going to the cemetery - the traditional Memorial Day. I'm sure the cemetery has already been decorated! Dad knows where we've been and how busy life has been for us the last couple of weeks. He knows we haven't forgotten him! Bill and I will be going to Inez this week to decorate as well where his grandparents are buried, and then on to Elmwood where my grandparents are buried.
Many people - especially the younger generations, have not grasped why we decorate. It is simply a day out of the year to remember those who have gone on before us - not just those who died during battle fighting for our freedom, but everyone. Memorial Day has become a day for families to gather together for picnics - which is great! In the beginning it was a day for the families to gather together at the cemeteries, decorate the graves, listen to some preaching, and then dinner on the ground. I can invision the day when the real purpose for Memorial Day is lost. As a child I remember helping make the flowers for the graves - we used tissue paper! We don't have to spend hundreds of dollars for decorations, but my prayer is that we remember those who have gone before us!
Take a moment today to just remember those who have gone home as well as those brave men and woman who sacrificed much so that we are free to have a day to be able to have a gathering with family and friends! Today, I want to remember my Dad and my brother John! They both loved life and family, but in the end they loved God more because they knew He wanted them to come home. I love you both and miss you very much!
Dad
John
To all who have lost loved ones - remember the happy times and know they are always with us!
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