It certainly seems to be a month for celebrations! Congratulations to all of the area graduates…high school and college alike. It is a joy to see your hard work pay off, and interesting to see and hear about your future plans. I am old enough to know that plans and dreams sometimes change along the way, but whatever life holds for you, I pray that you can remain level headed and move forward toward your goals. Good blessings as you leave the safety of “home” and find your own way in this world before you. Do know that you remain in the prayers and thoughts of those who watched you grow up in our small community.
As this week passes, we come to another celebration. One that causes us to reflect more solemnly. Memorial Day is celebrated annually the last Monday in May . It is a Federal holiday remembering those who died serving in our Armed Forces. After the Civil War, in 1868, this special memorial time began as Decoration Day, when graves of the deceased soldiers were decorated with flowers. It wasn’t until several years after World War II, in 1967, that it was officially changed to Memorial Day.
One part of this remembering is placing flags on soldiers’ graves. I am honored to be part of that service this week as a member of the VFW Auxiliary. I have never been privileged to help before, but always have admired the flags and their meaning at the cemeteries each year. There is something special about the presence of our country’s flag, whether flying high or decorating a soldier’s grave. As we were traveling through Minnesota last week, I especially noticed so many of them. I am not sure why at that certain time, but it just struck me how they were “standing tall” amidst all of our daily confusion and turmoil.
On Memorial Day the tradition is to raise the flag briskly to the top of the staff, and then solemnly lower it to half-staff position, where it remains until noon. It is then raised to full staff for the remainder of the day. Half-staff remembers the more than one million men and women who have given their lives in the service of their country. At noon their memory is raised by the living, so as not to let their sacrifice be in vain. It is a symbol of the living rising up in their place to fight for liberty and justice for all.
Many people in our area and all over the nation attend Memorial Day parades and programs. Most of them have marching bands and an overall military theme, with service men and women participating. I would encourage you to check your local papers to see where and when you can attend one of these special events. It is a time to honor those who have given much for us to live in freedom.
In 1968, when the Federal law changed four national holidays to celebrate on Mondays only to make it an official three day holiday, we realize Memorial Day is now the official “start to summer”. However, hopefully we can see past that and recognize it for the much more meaningful day that it is. We need to teach our children and grandchildren the importance of honoring and respecting those who have gone before us, giving sacrifices that we can only imagine.
I received this quote in an e-mail this week: “The American flag does not fly because the wind moves past it. The American flag flies from the last breath of each military member who has died protecting it.”
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