May 28, 2016
Memorial Day being May 30th this year has some
significance. Before Memorial Day became a "Monday holiday",
it was regularly celebrated on May 30th. And this gives us an
opportunity to think about what Memorial Day is about. If you
are not in the United States, I imagine that you have a similar
holiday and what I say here should apply.
It began as "Decoration Day", when people would decorate the graves
of fallen Union Soldiers from the Civil War. As Civil War
veterans began dying, a veterans' group began adding them to the
honorees on Decoration Day, although the primary emphasis remains
to this day on those who died fighting for our country. And
it developed into Memorial Day, a day for remembering the fallen
from all wars.
These were people who interrupted their lives for the sake of their
country. Whether recruited or drafted, they stepped
forward. They left behind schools, jobs, and families with
the hope of returning when it was over. And so, we honor
them. And in honoring, we can heal.
Blessed Be!