Week #297 – MORE THAN EVER: Keep the “Memorial” in Memorial Day!
This post has been an annual repeat — because it’s always a good reminder to keep the “Memorial” in Memorial Day, especially this year!!!
Greetings, All — and Happy Friday!!!
We are coming up on another Memorial Day Weekend — and there is no doubt that you’ll (once again) see a lot of commentaries about Memorial Day this weekend.
And NOTHING will be more prevalent this year than talk of re-opening. After weeks of being cooped up, locked in, or shut down — many of us will be finding ways to let loose (even if it’s still at a safe distance)!
More than ever, and especially this year, it’s important to remember the origins of this date and to honor those who gave their lives in service to this country.
Memorial Day, for certain, is a day set aside to remember those who died serving our country. But before it was called “Memorial Day” — it was called “Decoration Day” because it was a day when families reunited at burial locations to “decorate” the graves of their fallen. And because many people traveled very far to get there — they would relish the opportunity to visit and reconnect with relatives, usually accompanied by a pot-luck or picnic supper nearby.
So…it seems our modern traditions of family reunions and barbeques are not really that far off.
It’s the REMEMBERING (and DECORATING) that we sometimes miss!
Your Happyness Challenge for the Week Ahead: Keep the MEMORIAL in Memorial Day! Enjoy your family, the nice weather, and the freedom we have (even though it still may feel limited at this time) — just remember to REMEMBER! This may mean simply raising a flag, bringing a note or flowers to a grave of one who lost his/her life in service, or writing a name in the sand for all to see. You could make a donation, plant a tree, or lay a wreath at the base of a statue. Even after the day is past, the flowers fade, or the ocean wipes the shore clean — you never know how long your tribute will stick to the walls of someone else’s memory!
How will you keep the MEMORIAL in Memorial Day?!
Spread Happyness — share your thoughts or ideas in the comments!
5/22/20 by Grace Church
© Grace Church
grace@spreadhappyness.com
As I chalk up another item on my Bucket List, the publication of my book of memoirs I am reminded.
I choose to remember dad taking me to see Elvis. Mom’s yummy chocolate chip cookies. Oh, and grandma’s yummy tapioca pudding with a dollop of strawberry jam.
What fun I had with my husband living ‘down the shore’. Block parties, boat rides, playing cards with neighbors.
My boys are my joy and deliverer of precious memories.
When Jamie got hit with a baseball during a game I practically scaled the fence to get to him. And the time he greeted me, hands-on-hips with a challenge on his lips. Exactly what was I going to do about his freckles? His sense of humor, well what can I write. Today I will only focus on sweet memories of our Jason. The Holloween he was dressed in a Tweetie bird costume I made with the help of Aunt Joan. The time he ‘tricked’ me into eating frozen yogurt. Trips with both boys to Spruce Run. Eating a light supper, splashing in the water than a shower followed by PJs then home.
My sister was the storage vault for all that was good and, with me through challenges.
I will end with my brother Bobby. His fiery red hair matched his temper at times. But, when he pulled out his guitar and sang Mr. Bojangles never a more peaceful man existed