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Motivation Mondays: Memorial Day

30/05/2016
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“And they who for their country die shall fill an honored grave, for glory lights the soldier‘s tomb, and beauty weeps the brave.”  Joseph Drake

Motivation Mondays: Memorial Day - Honoring our Service Men/Women

Motivation Mondays: Memorial Day – Honoring our Service Men/Women

What does Memorial Day mean to You?  if you are not familiar with this very important day then, I encourage you to stop and consider what it means to pay the ultimate sacrifice for your beloved country. It is special day celebrated annually on the last Monday of May and dedicated to the memory of fallen American men and women who died in all wars and armed conflicts. Initially, it was created to honor northern soldiers who died in the Civil War, but over time, it became a way to remember those who died in World War I & II, and then all wars.

In 1971, Memorial Day was declared a national holiday in the USA. Since then, every last Monday of the moth of May is a day we honor those who died in all armed conflicts. It is also seen, in some circles, as the unofficial start of the summer season. How is this a subject for motivation? First of all, we can motivate ourselves and those around us to seek peaceful solutions to problems; We can educate ourselves on the effects of war, the value of peaceful coexistence, and we can build bridges of peace across the world.

As a survivor of a civil war, I cherish and honor all servicemen and women who risk their lives, in times of war, to make sure that innocent civilians live to remember the value of peace. While some of us are completely against war, we must remember that when we honor, salute, and cherish the memories of those who died, we are creating a legacy of hope and gratitude that we can pass on to our children and the next generation. Peacekeeping is not the absence of war but, we can work together with peace loving people around the world to ensure that our collective governments continue on the path to global peace.  As we gather today to pay our respects to  the memories of those lost, we are reminded that war should be, unequivocally, the last option for settling disputes.

 

The details for Motivation Mondays are below. Join in! The themes for April and May 2016 are:
April
04/04 –  Youth – 6 Intn’l Day of Sport, 7 World Health Day
04/11 –  Siblings Day
04/18 – Patriot’s Day,  Tax Day, 22 Earth Day
04/25 – Passover, 27 Administrative Professionals Day,  30 Jazz Day

May
05/02 – 1 May Day, 4 Star Wars Day, 5 Cinco de Mayo, 6 National Teacher’s Day, 8 Mother’s Day, 8 VE Day, WW II
05/09 – 13 Friday the 13th
05/16 – 20 Armed Forces Day
05/23 – 24 Victoria Day (Canada)
05/30 – 30 Memorial Day

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“Better than honor and glory, and History’s iron pen, was the thought of duty done and the love of his fellow-men.” ~ Richard Watson Gilder

Motivation Mondays: Memorial Day - Honoring our Service Men/Women

Motivation Mondays: Memorial Day – Honoring our Service Men/Women

Honoring Our Veterans: In case we forget, let me remind us all that all casualties of war or MIAs leave behind loved ones, family members, and memories of what could have been… How do we ever forget? How do we forget the pain and suffering inflicted on both the victor and the vanquished? As I’ve written in other posts, I’d like to repeat this statement again that while one side might claim victory, the loss of life and the deepening resentments that come from warring creates animosity and a spirit of revenge. War is devastating and its scars are indelible. If we are motivated to do good in this world, we can start by teaching our children to not hate others and to choose peace. So when we raise our hands in salute to our heroes, let us raise our hands also in a gesture of peace…

Back in the old days, when  WW I & II were part of the experience of our grandparents, many who went to war were not expected to return because the journey was brutal, the battles close up and fierce and the weapons of war not as sophisticated as they are today. My Dad was a lowly Sergent in the Burma war and while he cherished his memories of survival and his sepia photos from that period, he was a strong advocate for peace and compromise. As I honor and celebrate the lives of our Veterans today, I would like to implore each of you and all the world leaders out there to make peace a key objective, to remember those whose lives were lost with great reverence, and to treat our veterans with the utmost love, honor and respect; it is the least we can do.  Hope your Memorial Day is filled with peace and love!

Any Zen Antics stories via Goodweb.cn

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Positive Motivation Tip: When we remember those we lost at war, let us remember to act peacefully towards each other.

Motivation Mondays is open to anyone who wishes to share a motivational quote, photo, personal challenge or a post that encourages others to start the week on an upbeat note.
Basic Instructions: Each week, I will have a motivation word to help us create a response. (See listed words for the months above/below)
Email address: You may email or share your post as a comment and I will add it to the round-up of related posts. email it to: contact(@)mirthandmotivation(.)com
Category tag: – Share your post using Motivation Mondays
Twitter hashtag: – Use this on Twitter #MotvnM
Dedicated Page: There is a dedicated page for Motivation Mondays. It has the same instructions and will include other helpful tools and a link to the round-up
Facebook Page: MotivationOnMondays Join our page and add your post and/or any motivational piece you think will be helpful to others.
Facebook Community: We have a Facebook community forum to compliment the page. It serves as another way to share uplifting posts and thoughts. Please join in and add your voice.

Badge: – I created a fun badge using PicMonkey’s free photo editing tools. You can create your own, use WordPress’ integrated tool on your blog or you are welcome to use mine. (see dedicated page)
Tag: – Motivation Mondays
Hashtag: – #MotvnM
Related Posts

PHOTO CREDITS/ATTRIBUTIONS:All Photos –  Normandy American Cemetery via Wikipedia and Memorial Day via Pixabay 

Until Next Time…
Ask. Believe. Receive. ©
Elizabeth Obih-Frank
Mirth and Motivation
Positive Kismet

from → Global Events, Motivation Mondays, Positive Advice, Posts & Photos 2016
62 Comments leave one →
  1. Akhil Sharma permalink
    31/05/2016 7:36 am

    This is the best memorial day collage. Thanks for motivating us all. I am going to tweet with #MotvnM hashtag today.

    Reply
  2. roadrunnerfloristbasketexpress permalink
    31/05/2016 7:37 am

    The next time I visit Washington DC I intend to visit Arlington. I saw it from afar but I didn’t get inside the gates. I do visit the National Memorial Cemetery in Phoenix, AZ, often, because it is my honor to place flowers at the graves of our country’s bravest men and women. National is sad but alive. I can hear the voices of our soldiers and I pray for their souls. May we always remember those who gave their lives for our country.

    Reply
  3. Amy Jones permalink
    31/05/2016 8:04 am

    I feel deep respect and admiration for Veterans, I would be so honored if I ever meet one of these people in my life time. My grandfather was not a Veteran but he lived through the remainings of hell of the end of WW II in Italy…

    Reply
  4. Ana Fernandez permalink
    31/05/2016 8:14 am

    They are such an inspiration! We must fight for our beliefs and to protect others!

    Reply
  5. Amanda Love permalink
    31/05/2016 8:16 am

    It means a lot to me and for them to make the ultimate sacrifice of their lives for us to be free is what Memorial Day is all about. I’ve been seeing a lot of posts about people saying it’s not “Happy Memorial Day” but my opinion of that is, we’re happy that we’re free, and while it was sad that they lost their lives, do you think that we should go about moping and say “it’s such a sad memorial day”.

    Reply
    • Eliz@MirthandMotivation permalink*
      31/05/2016 8:28 am

      I understand the sentiments and agree that we should honor the lives of all our servicemen and women who died at war. Personally, I would prefer to use Honoring Memorial Day, Remembering the Brave on Memorial Day or some version of that. I don’t like the phrase “Happy Memorial Day” which honestly makes no sense. It is not a happy occasion but one of reverence and reflection. Thank you for your comment. 🙂

      Reply
  6. Julie Syl Kalungi permalink
    03/06/2016 7:16 am

    We can all seek non combative and non aggressive means to solve our problems life will get better if we focus on this. Governments have an agenda to sell their arms so they dont really want peace across the globe. YET they dont want it close to home. Memorial day is a fitting reminder of that!

    Reply
  7. Euge Nia permalink
    03/06/2016 10:38 am

    It is such an important day to remember and honor the fallen soldiers, their sacrifices and the heroism. A special thank you to all the men and women who protect us every day! Love how you wrote “When we remember those we lost at war, let us remember to act peacefully towards each other.” Thanks for sharing such a great and inspiring post!

    Reply
  8. Nellwyn permalink
    03/06/2016 11:22 am

    Lovely post, thank you for sharing what this day means to you.

    Reply
  9. Neely (@Neelykins) permalink
    03/06/2016 1:06 pm

    I love your collage. Memorial day is such a near and dear to my heart day.

    Reply
  10. kleebanks permalink
    03/06/2016 5:23 pm

    Thank you for such a thoughtful post. Even though I haven’t lost anyone in combat, I do have several family members and friends who have served or are serving in the military. This includes my parents, who are now deceased. Mom was in the Air Force and Dad was in the Army,

    Reply
  11. Caroline @ In Due Time permalink
    03/06/2016 8:01 pm

    Thank you for recognizing and honoring the true meaning of Memorial Day. I am so thankful for all who have served

    Reply
  12. She rocks the suburbs permalink
    03/06/2016 8:36 pm

    This is a great article and an excellent way to honor Memorial day and the brave men and women who fight for our freedom every day!

    Reply
  13. Marielle Altenor permalink
    03/06/2016 8:47 pm

    Love the picture choice for this collage! Memorial Day is such an important part of our past and future.

    Reply
  14. Lexie Lane permalink
    03/06/2016 10:12 pm

    This is one of the most beautiful memorial day collage I’ve ever found. Thanks for sharing your thoughts!

    Reply
  15. Danne Reed permalink
    03/06/2016 10:13 pm

    Great post, I admire your collages! You are so good at it.

    Reply
  16. Nikki Jenner permalink
    03/06/2016 10:14 pm

    This is exactly my thought. We should remember the ones who sacrifice for us.

    Reply
  17. carrie@thelavenderhytta permalink
    05/06/2016 12:00 am

    We should always remember the ones who have sacrificed for us. Without them we would have many of the liberties we do.

    Reply

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