May 26 (Memorial Day 'observed')

15 years ago

Memorial Day -

It is the first day of summer travel

It is the first weekend for grilling and patio parties

It is to go camping, to go picnicking, to spent time outdoorsÂ

Is it?

LetÂs remember:

How important it is for us to recognize and celebrate our heroes and she-roes! ~Maya Angelou

The dead soldier's silence sings our national anthem. ~Aaron Kilbourn

A hero is someone who has given his or her life to something bigger than oneself. ~Joseph Campbell

Comments (9)

lindajewell
15 years ago
Memorial Day remains on of America's most cherished patriotic observences. The spirit of this day has not changed-it remains a day to honor those who died defending our freedom and democracy.

Can't remember who to contribute this quote to! I am getting old...........but please take time today to remember all who have given thier lives to keep us free.

Have a great day!

Linda J
Pidge
15 years ago
Lilo, it's all those things--a day to picnic, and a day to remember. Memorial Day is a kind of low-key holiday for me, unlike the 4th or even Labor Day. It's more solemn somehow, less given to celebration than to gratitude.
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Ditto on the GO NAVY! I spent the weekend with my nephew (actually my best friends youngest son but he calls me Uncle Jeff and I've been beside him since the day he was born) who was home from Coronado, CA where he is in BUD/S training. This soon-to-be Navy SEAL is one of 19 left out of a class of 200+ that started 13 weeks ago. You cannot fathom the physical, mental and emotion trials that these young KIDS are going through to serve our country. They weren't drafted, they WANT to be there! If I were to tell you about most of the stuff that they go through on a daily basis you would think that it is humanly impossible! Thesee young men, as all members of our military deserve our thanks, appreciation and respect for what they endure just to serve us and this country in an effort to keep this nation free. They are doing a job that has to be done and they have the courage and fortitude to step into the breach where many will not. I couldn't be more proud of anyone and my heart swells everytime I see Chris. Please keep our service personel in your prayers EVERY day. Without them we are doomed. Look around your house at your family and posessions - appreciate them because you owe it all to the young men and women who have served! "The only ones who have willingly given their lives for you are Jesus Christ and the American Military".
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Sweet corn here is from Florida and it was not bad at 20 cents an ear. I put an ear in the microwave. It was 95f here yesterday, 91F the day before and we had a three day yard sale thursday, Friday and Saturday, so no cooking then either. I didn't cook one darned thing this weekend except pancakes for Bud and Makayla, who spent the weekend. Other than that we ate ice cream and cold sandwiches and the kids ran through the sprinkler while I planted artichokes and tomatoes and took a break every five minutes to stand in the sprinkler! I have two flats of tomatoes at the farm, that's 96 plants, a mix of Rutgers and Bonny Best. Here in my raised beds at the house I've limited myself to two of each variety I planted except the white tomatoes. I planted two Cherokee Purple, although they never do particularly well. Also two Pineapple, two Big Rainbow, two Golden Jubilee, two SunGold, two Mortgage lifter and a dozen of the as yet unidentified "white" tomato. Mother saved seeds from last year, I bought a container of tomato plants from the 4H kids last year that were simply labelled "white". They were one of the best tomatoes I've ever eaten, so this year I have a dozen plants, LOL. I think they may be White Queen or something similar, a beefsteak type tomato. I started two dozen artichokes inside about March, no one I know in Michigan has ever grown artichokes successfully so of course I have to try. I don't have air conditioning and the pool isn't quite clean yet, so it was way too hot to cook, even outside. Too hot to eat too. Annie
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LOL!!!!!! I can't tell you how many times I type guilt for quilt and have to correct it!!! Blowing raspberries at Teresa for having working AC lol!!! please show us some pics of your tea wallets - I have started on a purse over a year ago and still haven't finished it. Yep, we are having T-storms and 85% humidity, tomorrow is going to be the worse. We are about like Altamonte, Fl - far enough inland to miss the worse of the storm. We need the rain so much - but the farmers are still harvesting onions. Sometimes in March we have winds that are stronger than I remember the tropical storms in FL. Donna, I remember going to the movies and the mall everyday for a week when we had the hurricanes in a row lol!!! I think being without AC is much easier than totally out of electric. If you have ever watched "Mayberry" you know what Glennville, GA is like lol. One friend moved here when his wife's fam needed help and he told DH it was like moving to a third world country lol!!!! Karlene, I still know people that have, but do not use their AC. NOT ME!!!!!! Rosa
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After some consideration of my earlier post here, I offer my apology for having made it on this thread, as I did not intend it in any way to detract from your appreciation of the service that military people have given, including death for many. While I consider that the point that I made is valid, I think that I should have made it on a separate thread. Our May holiday, last weekend, earlier dealing with our queen of the late 1800s, has been just a holiday for many years, with no military connotations. We remember their contributions on November 11, which we used to call "Armistice Day", related mainly to te multiplied thousands who were killed in World War I, and later in World War II and Korea. Our family has more reason than many to be thankful for the soldiers' contribution, for Grandpa was 54 (Dad 13) in 1914, when World WarI began. When World War II began in 1939, Dad at 38 had a wife in the chronic hospital, an old mother 77 and me, aged 10 plus 2 younger brothers and a fairly large farm to look after. Korea was not a major deal here, I wondered about going, but was busy in University at the time. I finished just as the Korean War was winding down and asked to be appointed as a missionary of our (liberal Protestant)(1) church, to help heal the wounds of war in Korea, then spent 10 years there. I do not like war. So our family, not having been personally involved in war, have reason to be more thankful than many for the gift of their lives that many soldiers have been called upon to make. I drove my son, who has lived all of his life in Canada, a dual citizen, to Toronto to register for the U.S. draft in the late '70s, when he was near or at 18 ... but he has not served. He was in the Canadian Navy Officers' Training or Reserves for a while, while he was in University, and spent a summer with them, but did not continue. When given an order, he had a tendency to ask the officer to give him three reasons why he should follow it. I think that he and the Navy felt that they would not make a good fit. Good wishes to you all as you remember later today, Memorial Day. ole joyful 1. When I started university in 1947, I was assigned a room in our seminary dorm that had been furnished in tribute to our first ordained female clergyperson, which took place in the 1930s on the Prairies, I think. Most of the Presbyterians, the Methodists and the Congregationalists (plus a number of local union churches, mainly in the recently-settled Prairies) joined into The United Church of Canada in 1925. o j
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anneliese_32
15 years ago
Memorial Day is for me the most significant secular holiday, but I live in a small city which is closely connected to a military post and the largest segment of the population is either active duty and retired military, their dependents or works on post.
I almost daily pass a military cemetary, rarely is the flag not on halfsstaff, reminding me of all the people who gave so much of their lives for us.
lindajewell
15 years ago
anneliese, I am glad you remember, so many don't. My dad served with the Flying Tigers in WWII, my mom spent 2 years in the Marine Corp. and my brother is a vet of Vietnam. The military is very close to my heart.

Every now and then some one will address my dad by Colonel, you should see the tears in his eyes when they show him that respect!
Pidge
15 years ago
I had four uncles and I don't know how many cousins, male and female, serve in WWII, and my brother is a Vietnam Vet. Yet it's not the military I honor but the memories of my relatives as decent human beings caught up in horrible situations. Memorial Day is not a sentimental holiday for me.
sheila
15 years ago
Pidge, I feel that's an important distinction.
mawheel
15 years ago
My brother was wounded on Christmas Day during the Battle of the Bulge and died in an English hospital on Valentines Day. His body was brought home after the war ended and after that, Memorial Day was observed by putting flowers on his grave.

Before that, my Mother had used Memorial Day as a time to put flowers on the graves of all her/my relatives who had passed. So, even though we might have a picnic later in the day, the morning was dedicated to visiting several cemetaries in the D.C. area, Arlington among them.
andie_rathbone
15 years ago
My mom used to call Memorial Day Decoration Day & we always went to the cemtary to put flowers on the graves of our dead ancestors, none of which as I recall served in the military, so I'm thinking that it doesn't have to be confined to the armed forces, although I know that's how it started.

What I remember chiefly about Memorial Day is marching with my Girls Scout troop in our town's annual parade. LAer on after I was no longer in the Girls Scouts, I'd go with my friends & we'd sit on the steps of the post office & watch the parade. It always signaled the start of summer.

And, oh yeah! Now you can all wear white! Enjoy!
User
15 years ago
The paper poppies used to be prevalent at the parades. Tractors pulling flatbed trailers decorated with red white and blue crepe. The American Legion and VFW with uniforms on marching in formation followed by horse riders bearing flags. This I remember from Iowa in the '50s. We would also go to the cemetery and place flowers on graves. I agree with Pidge, the people were more important than the conflict.

May 26 (Memorial Day 'observed')

Comments (9)

lindajewell

Pidge

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