Memorial Day 2014

Having been “gone” for a couple weeks celebrating the first birthday of our grandson, Zane, watching the dance recital of his older sister, then celebrating the birth of our granddaughter, Nyelle, it is now Memorial Day weekend.  Because of this great country and those men and women who have fought for our freedom, I am a woman who is free to make my own choices and each of my four granddaughters and two grandsons will grow up in a country that stands for freedom.  For this, we are all blessed and for this I say THANK YOU to all our fallen military on this Memorial Day, May 26, 2014.

Not knowing much about this holiday we celebrate year after year, I wanted to know more.  From the History Channel, “Memorial Day was originally called Decoration Day borne out of the Civil War.”  It was the desire to honor those who lost their lives fighting in the Civil War.  May 30, 1868, General John Logan officially proclaimed this date, and New York was the first state to recognize the holiday in 1873.  By 1890, Decoration Day was recognized by all the Northern states.  The South, however, refused to acknowledge this date and preferred to honor their dead on separate days.  After WW1, the holiday changed from honoring only those who died in the Civil War to honoring all Americans who died fighting any war.  The name changed from Decoration Day to Memorial Day.

In 1968, Congress passed the Uniform Monday Holiday Act which established Memorial Day to be the last Monday in May in order to create a three-day weekend for federal employees.  This change went into effect in 1971 and the law declared Memorial Day as an official, federal holiday.

“In 1915, while reading Ladies' Home Journal, an overseas war secretary named Moina Michael came across the famous World War I poem, "In Flanders Fields" by John McCrae, which begins, "In Flanders fields the poppies blow/ Between the crosses, row on row." Moved, she vowed always to wear a silk poppy in honor of the American soldiers who gave up their lives for their country. She started selling them to friends and co-workers and campaigned for the red flowers to become an official memorial emblem. The American Legion embraced the symbol in 1921, and the tradition has spread to more than 50 other countries, including England, France and Australia.” (History Channel)

^{Shortly before Memorial Day in 1922, the VFW became the first veterans’ organization to nationally sell poppies.”  You can now find our disabled vets selling the artificial poppies.} 

^{I hope you have a safe and blessed Memorial Day full of family, fun, good bbq, picnics, and laughter.  I hope you also take a moment to reflect on the essence of why we celebrate this special day whether you honor past loved ones with flowers on a gravesite or you take time to thank a current military person and their family.  Be a proud American and fly your flag and watch this video:}

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xhX5ET5PNv8&index=6&list=PL2263F0482E2CB7EF