Poppies, Parades, Tombstones and Thanks.....

Decoration Day was so called in honor of decorating graves of those who died in military service. In 1966 President Johnson declared Waterloo, NY, to be the birthplace of Decoration Day. In 1967, Congress changed the name of the holiday to Memorial Day and in 1971 the day to honor the fallen was changed from May 30 to the last Monday of May, no matter what the date may be. General Logan gave the official proclamation in 1868.

General John Logan was the national commander of the Grand Army of the Republic. When the general gave the proclamation flowers were placed on the graves of Union and Confederate soldiers at Arlington National Cemetery. The wearing of red poppies on Memorial Day was started by Ms. Michael. As a matter of fact, the US Post Office issued a 3 cent stamp with Ms. Michael's picture on it, giving credibility to the National Poppy Movement.



In Flander's Field
by John McCrae

In Flanders Fields the poppies blow,
Between the crosses, row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky,
The larks, still bravely singing, fly,
Scarce heard amid the guns below.
We are the dead.
Short days ago,
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved and were loved and now we lie,
In Flanders Fields.
Take up our quarrel with the foe
To you, from failing hands, we throw,
The torch, be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us, who die,
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow,
In Flanders Fields.


Today people appreciate the long weekend to begin their summer holiday, yet forget why the holiday was started in the first place. In many cemeteries, the graves of the fallen are neglected, ignored and forgotten. Many feel that when Congress made the day into a three-day weekend in with the National Holiday Act of 1971, it made it all the easier for people to be distracted from the spirit and meaning of the day. As the VFW stated in its 2002 Memorial Day address: "Changing the date merely to create three-day weekends has undermined the very meaning of the day. No doubt, this has contributed greatly to the general public's nonchalant observance of Memorial Day."

I was telling Renee on the way home from church today how my mother would take us to the cemetery where we lived and decorate the tombstones. She took us many times in the year but always on Memorial Day. She would say this is a day to honor the fallen. A day to remember.

The wonderful blessing of memory. We can go back in time and remember skipping rocks, building tree-houses, sleeping under the stars. We can remember falling in love and marrying the love of our life and starting our family. We can't re-live it but we can remember it. Only when one loses their memory do they realize how having a memory is one of the blessings of life. Joshua 4 speaks of memory stones. Every stone represented something specific that God had done. The Israelites took time to remember.

Our nation would not enjoy the freedoms it does if not for the ones who served and fought for America's freedom. Today I choose to remember. I choose to honor. I choose to appreciate those who serve. I remember.