Memorial Day
We live in a nation where Memorial Day is viewed by most as a holiday, the start of the summer vacation season. Families will travel, parties will be held, barbeques will be cooked - all to celebrate that they get a day off from work, but none of this captures what Memorial Day really means.
Memorial Day is meant to honor those who sacrificed their lives so that others could be free. It's a long-standing tradition that dates back to the Civil War, when the first memorial day was observed in 1865 by liberated slaves at the historic race track in Charleston. The site was a former Confederate prison camp as well as a mass grave for Union soldiers who had died while captive.
Memorial Day, or Decoration Day as it was originally known, soon became a national holiday, and the tradition of honoring all of our war dead - including all of the World Wars, the Korean War, the Vietnam War, the Gulf War (of which I am a veteran), and now the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan to name just a few - became a time-honored tradition where communities would gather to remember those who gave their lives.
Somewhere along the way though, the true meaning of what it means to celebrate Memorial Day has been lost in the land of commercialism. Fewer and fewer are the commemoration and remembrance ceremonies that once graced our nation on this day. Honoring the fallen has been replaced with honoring the barbeque grill.
As you go through your day today, take a moment to pause and reflect on the true meaning of this day, and give thanks to those brave men and women who made the ultimate sacrifice so that we could be free.
Source:Justin Thyme
ABF, for the promotion of human rights and democracy in Iran
5 comments:
Thank you, Serendip. This is beautiful. Every Memorial Day I get very sad. I know I shouldn't, but I just think of all that has been stolen from us. These bright young people, their dreams, their children, their smiles. I know they would want us to carry on and for the most part I do. It's just that on this day, their day, I give my thoughts over to them. Again, thank you.
Rosemary: IT's a very somber day for me too. It's time of reflection and profound reverance. And thank you for stopping by.
Thanks for this post, Serendip. I agree that this is a serious holiday, memorializing those who gave their lives for an important cause. Even reading about those wars, or watching representations of them in the movies, is so haunting and painful. One cannot help but respect and salute those who willingly and honorably served and gave their most important possession, their lives, for a country they loved. I, too, take this holiday very seriously and respectfully. Be good Serendip.
That is exactly what our brave men and women do. We should thank the Almighty Lord for the freedoms we have on behalf of these men and women.
Good post. It needed to be said.
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