LEST WE FORGET
The Meaning of Memorial
Day
Every Memorial Day,
families and communities across the nation take time to honor those who made
the ultimate sacrifice in service to our nation. Americans observe this special
holiday in many different ways.
Originally called Decoration Day, from
the early tradition of decorating graves with flowers, wreaths and flags,
Memorial Day is a day for remembrance of those who have died in service to our
country. It was first widely observed on May 30, 1868 to commemorate the
sacrifices of Civil War soldiers, by proclamation of Gen. John A. Logan of the
Grand Army of the Republic, an organization of former Union sailors and
soldiers.
Since the earliest ceremonies in small American
towns following the Civil War, we have gathered on Memorial Day to honor and
remember those who made the ultimate sacrifice in service to our nation. As in
those early days of laying wreaths and placing flags, our national day of
remembrance is often felt most deeply among the families and communities who
have personally lost friends and loved ones.
This national holiday may also be the
unofficial start of the summer season, but all Americans must take a moment to
remember the sacrifice of our valiant military service members, first
responders and their families. Memorial Day is a day of both celebration and
grief, accounting for the honor of our heroes and reflecting on their tragic
loss.
Civil War soldiers had been mustered from
towns and villages across the land. Like today, the loss of each soldier was a
profound tragedy for both family and community.
Today, we honor service members from all of
America’s past wars. But there is immediacy in our sorrow; the wounds of war
are new again. As we struggle for ways to heal, Abraham Lincoln’s message of
almost 150 years ago can still inspire us.
This, then, is the mission of Memorial Day:
to reach out in support of all the soldiers and their families who have
sacrificed so much for us.
John 15:13 No one
has greater love than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.
FREE AM I
PS. Today I, alone, will visit nearby Forest Lawn Cemetery. A
thoughtful exercise in remembrance. EBB4
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