Forgetting What Memorial Day Means

Along with the other holidays we observe...we are nonchalant about the true meaning. Christmas is Santa Claus and gifts, Easter is candy and the Easter Bunny, Forth of July is fireworks and so on...

Let's take a minute (just ONE minute) to observe Memorial Day. As you read this post, remember....

Memorial Day is a United States Federal Holiday that is observed on the last Monday of May. It was formerly known as Decoration Day. This holiday commemorates U.S. men and women who have died in military service to their country. It began first to honor Union soldiers who died during the American Civil War. After World War I, it was expanded to include those who died in any war or military action.

Many people visit memorials and cemeteries. The US Flag is flown half mast from dawn until noon. Volunteers place an American flag on each grave site located in a National Cemetery.

This also is the time when people get together for barbecues, family gatherings and sporting events. Some towns still hold parades. It's also known for the official start of summer.

But,...I AM taking the time to remember my relatives, my friends and YOURS who have died while serving our country. I am also thinking about the men and women serving in the military right now.

We Shall Keep the Faith
by Moina Michael, November 1918

Oh! you who sleep in Flanders Fields,
Sleep sweet - to rise anew!
We caught the torch you threw
And holding high, we keep the Faith
With All who died.

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,
But lends a lustre to the red
Of the flower that blooms above the dead
In Flanders Fields.

And now the Torch and Poppy Red
We wear in honor of our dead.
Fear not that ye have died for naught;
We'll teach the lesson that ye wrought
In Flanders Fields.