Whats does memorial day mean to you?
Wikipedia's description is as follows:
Memorial Day is a
United States federal holiday observed on the last Monday of May (May 30 in 2011). Formerly known as
Decoration Day, it commemorates U.S. Service Members who died while in the
military service.
[1] First enacted by formerly enslaved African-Americans
[2] to honor
Union soldiers of the
American Civil War – it was extended after
World War I to honor Americans who have died in all wars.
.
These past few days have been inspiring to me. This year the meaning of memorial day has turned into more than just memories of people who are gone, but more importantly about people who are still here. Their stories of the past and people who were a part of it, gave a new meaning to memories.
Cindy and I traveled to Northwest Oklahoma and visited her home town she grew up in. That alone brought up old high school memories and times of teenage bliss. But the best part was how the people of small town America still participate and respect memories of the past and those people who created the memories. Many people from miles around would come to these small rural cemeteries to give respect to their departed. What was special to me was to see our parents generation respect the holiday in such a way as to make it special to the living most of all.
After listening to stories from this generation, the true story of memories begin to unfold. Memories of what they were doing during memorial weekends past. About how people would show up on Memorial Day to pay respects and these days would turn into reunions of old friends, relatives, classmates, and just general fellowship.
Cindy my wife, tells me of memories going with her grandmother or grandfather and listening to stories about the lives of the people whose names were on the stones. The stories would tell about the life that person lived and how their life had impacted them. To this day when Cindy passes these cemeteries she remembers and respects the memories she received from her grandparents and parents.
Throughout this Memorial Weekend the new memories of old memories have been a glowing inspiration. Tribute should be given to past generations for providing a holiday we can surely remember with fond memories.
Greggo, I'm with Cindy. My grandmother had grown up near a little town that was obliterated in WWII when Camp Atterbury was created in central Indiana. When they built the Camp, they destroyed all the dwellings, but kept the graveyards intact. Every year when I was growing up in the 60's and 70's, they would open Camp Atterbury to the public on Memorial Day and we'd drive out to visit the family graves....which were maintained and mowed by the Army.
ReplyDeleteGreat post Greggo. The names on these stones are reminders to me that their sacrifice enables us all to sleep comfortably each night and enjoy the freedoms that the majority of the world has yet to realize.
ReplyDeleteThank you for such a great post. I am not American and do not feel any affinity with Memorial Day, but I do respect other people's traditions. We celebrate Victory Day in May and honor the 60 or so million people (including members of my immediate family) who died in WWII.
ReplyDeletePR-nice memory.
ReplyDeleteRR-freedom reigns.
Masha-thanks for sharing your traditions, your country gave up a huge sacrifice.