Motivation Mondays: Observing Memorial Day
“As America celebrates Memorial Day, we pay tribute to those who have given their lives in our nation’s wars.” John M. McHugh
Motivation Mondays: Observing Memorial Day #memorialday
AMAZING GRACE (Bag Pipes)
I have long believed that sacrifice is the pinnacle of patriotism. Bob Riley
These fallen heroes represent the character of a nation who has a long history of patriotism and honor – and a nation who has fought many battles to keep our country free from threats of terror. Michael N. Castle
We should guard their graves with sacred vigilance. … Let pleasant paths invite the coming and going of reverent visitors and fond mourners. Let no neglect, no ravages of time, testify to the present or to the coming generations that we have forgotten as a people the cost of a free and undivided republic. Maj. Gen. John A. Logan
What is Memorial Day? In brief, it is a day dedicated to the remembrance of our service men and women who paid the ultimate sacrifice in defense of this great nation. It is a celebration of the lives of Veterans who returned home from war carrying the memories of comrades lost in battles at home and places far flung. The unofficial version finds its origins in a commemoration held by freed African Americans in spring of 1865 and how that led to what we now celebrate. However, the official version of Memorial Day found its earliest beginnings on May 5, 1868, when Maj. Gen. John A. Logan, as head of the Union veterans, declared that the graves of fallen soldiers should be decorated, every May 30, with flowers in honor of their sacrifice. The recommendation at the time was specific to that war and, eventually, it spread to include all wars in America and all wars Americans fought around the world. Today, we celebrate it for the fallen, their families, surviving veterans, and those who were/are POW/MIA.
What about Decoration Day? Because the original directive from Gen Logan was to decorate the graves of the fallen with flowers, it was called Decoration Day. Over the years, Memorial Day gradually caught on; first in 1966, when Congress and President Lyndon Johnson declared Waterloo, N.Y., the “birthplace” of Memorial Day, and then, in 1971, when Memorial Day was declared a national holiday by an act of Congress. In December 2000, the U.S. Congress passed a remembrance bill and President Clinton signed into law “The National Moment of Remembrance Act,” P.L. 106-579. The idea behind the Moment of Remembrance came from No Greater Love founder, Carmella LaSpada, who wanted us all to stop whatever we were doing at 3pm and spend a minute of reflection and gratitude for those who died at war. Carmella saw it as a way to make us put the memorial back into this special day. I concur.
REMEMBRANCE: Requiem for Memorial Day 2009
Reflections on Memorial Day: Of War and Peace… 2010
NYT: News about Memorial Day, including commentary and archival articles
Memorial Day: Remembrance and Reflections 2011
Memorial Day: Honor, Salute & Celebrate… 2012
Gratitude: Remembering Maya Angelou 2014
Motivation Mondays: Honoring SERVICE 2015
Motivation Mondays: Memorial Day 2016
Motivation Mondays: Honoring Memorial Day 2017
“The willingness of America’s veterans to sacrifice for our country has earned them our lasting gratitude.” Jeff Miller
Motivation Mondays: Observing Memorial Day
Memorial Day isn’t just about honoring veterans, its honoring those who lost their lives. Veterans had the fortune of coming home. For us, that’s a reminder of when we come home we still have a responsibility to serve. It’s a continuation of service that honors our country and those who fell defending it. Pete Hegseth
How Do we Observe Memorial Day? How Could we Observe it? In the years I’ve lived in the USA, I’ve observed, in many quarters, that Memorial Day is celebrated as a long weekend off work and the start of beach and BBQ season. There are parades to attend, Veterans to greet and applaud, and special sales and bargains to find. Frankly, I suspect that some folks don’t give the actual gravity of the occasion much thought. Yet, it is key to our unity, freedom and safety. Plus, if we make the commitment to learn about Memorial Day, we would give it the reverence and gratitude it deserves. As I worked on this post, I was thinking about tips to share on how we can observe this day in a more meaningful way with our friends and family. Fortunately, I came across an article that offered six tips that would give all of us a chance to not only honor the fallen but learn more about the occasion.
How Could we Observe Memorial Day? For starters, read up on it by visiting the VA website. Stay current by checking out the NYTimes Memorial Day commentary and archival articles section. Then read these Memorial Day tips offered below and plan with your friends/family to honor some or all of them:
Visit local cemeteries and place flags or flowers on the graves of our fallen heroes.
Visit memorial sites near you.
Fly the U.S. Flag at half-staff until noon.
Fly the ‘POW/MIA Flag’ as well (Section 1082 of the 1998 Defense Authorization Act).
Participate in a “National Moment of Remembrance”: at 3 p.m.(your time) by pausing and thinking about the true meaning of the day, and arrange for Taps to be played.
Renew/Make a pledge to aid the widows, widowers, and orphans of our fallen heroes/heroines, and to aid disabled veterans.
The details for Motivation Mondays are below. Join in! The themes for APR 2018/MAY 2018 are:
03/04 – Women’s History Month, National Nutrition Month, Irish-American Heritage Month, American Red Cross Month, 08 International Women’s Day, World Kidney Day, 04 Academy Awards
03/11 – 11 Daylight Savings, 14 Pi Day, 15 World Consumer Rights Day, 17 St Patrick’s Day
03/18 – 19 St Joseph, 20 International Day of Happiness, 21 World poetry Day, 22 World Water day, 24 Earth Hour
03/25 – Palm Sunday, 29 Holy Thursday, 30 Good Friday, 31 Passover
05/06 – 01 May Day, 03, National Day of Prayer, 03 World Press Freedom Day, 04 Star Wars, 05 Cinco De Mayo
05/13 – 13 HAPPY MOTHER’S DAY, 16 Ramadan starts, 19 Armed Forces Day,
05/20 – 20 Pentecost Day, 23 World Turtle Day, 24 National Brother Day
05/27 – 28 Memorial Day, 30 World MS Day, 31 World No Tobacco Day
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“There is nothing nobler than risking your life for your country.” Nick Lampson
Motivation Mondays: Observing Memorial Day
Motivation Mondays: Observing Memorial Day
Bob Marley War live
On Memorial Day, I don’t want to only remember the combatants. There were also those who came out of the trenches as writers and poets, who started preaching peace, men and women who have made this world a kinder place to live. Eric Burdon
A man’s country is not a certain area of land, of mountains, rivers, and woods, but it is a principle and patriotism is loyalty to that principle. George William Curtis
Since the inception of this blog, I have always made an extra effort to write a Memorial Day post not only because my Dad was a reserve in some ancient war but also, because I value PEACE. War and Peace walk in tandem; they are like two birds forced to feed off the table of good and evil wrought by man. When one sleeps, the other rises and the struggle to find world peace and balance continues. Every year, our service men and women commit to lay down their lives in defense of their fellow citizens and there is no greater sacrifice than that. Honoring the lives of those lost is significant because it forces us to remember the cost of war, to work together to ensure that we cherish the freedoms we enjoy, and because freedom comes with a high price tag for those who protect us by defending it. Let us always remember the fallen and show our gratitude by honoring their memory every year.
In Flanders Fields by John McCrae via emory.edu
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.
Have a happy, peaceful and productive week ahead!
Any Zen Antics stories via
Positive Motivation Tip: Remember to honor all who served and lost their lives so we can live free.
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PHOTO CREDITS/ATTRIBUTIONS: All Photos, Memorial Day via Pixabay, AND/OR Memorial Day via Wikipedia…
Until Next Time…
Ask. Believe. Receive. ©
Elizabeth Obih-Frank
Mirth and Motivation
Positive Kismet
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I’m with you. Having a moment of silence where everyone stops and does nothing, forcing us to remember what was done for us would be a great way to bring back the remembrance.
I concur…
I really hadn’t looked into the origins of Memorial Day until this year. I didn’t know that freed Africans actually “unofficially” started it.
We all need a moment of silence to remember those who left us, such service keep the memories of Supreme sacrifice fresh in our minds and heart filled with gratitude.
Salute to all who courageously fought for the country! Much appreciated.
Huge respect to many heroes out there, and for all their sacrifices. Huge respect as well to their families and love ones.
It is but fitting to honor and remember the people who defended our country in one way or the other. Heroes are honorable men and women..
It is awesome US has such a day to honor people who lost their lives in the service of the country. It reminds us how important it is to keep peace.
I do think its beautiful and peaceful, but then again I cant belive that mankind has to be sacrificed like that just to make peace… that’s just sad.
This day is not about having fun, getting drunk, or having backyard BBQs. This day is meant to honor and remember our fallen soldiers. It should be celebrated with prayer and giving thanks to those who paid the ultimate sacrifice so that we can have this freedom we enjoy today.
Nice, comprehensive explanation of Memorial Day and our traditions regarding it. I was happy to see you included the very first instance of a Memorial Day in 1865. I would love to see that become the “official” first and commemorate ALL of our fallen soldiers through history.
Our servicemen and women have given so much. Some of them have given everything. It’s so important to remember that.
So many men and women have paid the ultimate price to protect the United States. Remembering that sacrifice is the highest honor that can be given to them.
I make it a point to say thank you to anyone and everyone I notice that served our country. Not a lot of them get the appreciation they deserve.
It’s definitely an special day to all American people to commemorate the brave and loyal men and women who sacrifice themselves for the benefits of many. It’s such a great feeling that a country to honor and give tributes to all their fallen heroes that gives what they have now.
Good to know more about the history of this holiday. Most of us know what it’s all about, but have no idea how Memorial Day came to be.
Thank you for such detailed article! I`m Russian and Memorial Day is still just another weekend for me, because we have our own memorial day ( May 9th). But I`ll use your article as Memorial Day guide now
Happy Memorial Day! It is important day to remember those who died protecting our country. It is a very solemn day, but lets cherish their lives too!
I like your statement about remembering the people who sacrificed in war because it reminds us about the cost of war. Since most of us aren’t involved personally, it is so easy to forget about the actual cost. Thanks for the reminder!
These memorial days are really very important. These are celebrated for the sacrifices of the people in defense of the nation. It is a beautiful way to celebrate the live of the service men who returned home including all the wars which were fought around the world.
It’s important to reflect back on holidays like this and take a moment of silence. I think some people forget what holidays like this actually mean and it’s good to recognize those who risked their lives.
Thanks for sharing different ways that we can observe Memorial Day. It’s so easy to just let it pass by as another day to have a BBQ with your family.
It’s important to pay tribute to those who have laid down their lives for us. Recently, and throughout history.
I’m with you! My family had a moment of silence, thinking about all those heroes!
This was a grest post and it is important that we know that Memorial Day is much more than a long weekend!
My son was in Caisson and they put flags on the graves. It gave me a new appreciation for something that was already important to me. Memorial Day is an important day for all of us in one way or another.
It is about the time of the year to pay tribute to those who fight for peace and protected us from harm. Thank you for the motivation and great words. – Knycx Journeying
Belated Memorial day weekend greetings to all! Thank you for keeping memories alive here
It is good to see such a thorough post about what Memorial Day truly means. It can help many to understand better.
I appreciate your post about memorial day. I barely know about this.
Hope you had a great celebration my friend!
Memorial Day is a day to celebrate the courage and patriotism of our fallen brothers and sisters. It should not just be celebrated on this day but daily in our hearts! They have served the country.
Salute to all the braved and inspiring people. You are very important in our society
My best friend from High school died in Afganistan so memorial day is really important to me.
Happy Memorial Day to you too! It is a time to reflect and remember those who were heroes for our country. May they never been forgotten.
Whatever you are doing for Memorial day, please stop and think about what today means. Its not a 3-day weekend to hang out at the beach… People fought you and our country… to have this day of recognition. Please recognize those who fought!
It’s the right and noble thing to do to remember those who sacrificed their lives for us and those we used to know even if they didn’t really make an impact in our lives.
Yes! I agree even if you think it “didn’t really make an impact on my life” still out of respect stop and give thanks.
Memorial Day is a day of gratitude. I am thankful for the sacrifices the members of the military made for our freedom. Great article.
So important to observe. I have been watching docs my late father used to watch on WW2 and its so important to learn and grow so history cannot repeat, as well as pay respects to those who selflessly gave their lives so we could live as we do now. Great read.
You are great putting in the effort to write about such a day and appreciate all the people who fight for the country.
Memorial Day is for veteran heroes who already risk their life to serve the country. They are heroes indeed.
Love the thought of including writers and poets. It’s truly important as they bring peace through their words.
Finally know what memorial day is all about. I keep hearing about it only from US tv shows i watch haha
Surely an even greater emotion, a different and meaningful inspirational Monday!
I don’t celebrate it because I’m from another country but I know that for you it is an important day to celebrare. Have a good memorial day. – Paolo
really enjoyed my read here, truly a good way to honour those brave one & Happy memorial day to all
Heroes deserve to be celebrated. They are inspiration to all.
It’s a great day to celebrate because I think now it’s quite difficult for us to care and hear about other people’s thoughts anymore. hopefully it will remind everyone the importance of observing and pass it on to the others. too.
Memorial day is one of the best ways to give honor to those who sacrificed their life for the country.
the poems are very beautiful and touching, definitely fitting the special day when we remember the fallen for us
That’s a very well written post. Happy Memorial Day to you too.
We should remember our heroes who do so much for the country.
.
I agree with you, we need to pause for a moment to remember the heroes who died for their country and people. Thank you for sharing these beautiful words.
Paying my respect to those who sacrificed their lives to save ours. 💕
Memorial day is a very important day, I have the utmost respect for men and women who have served their country
Salute to the people who served and still serving for the people. Thanks for this post!
I never knew about memorial day… Thank you so much for sharing this article. I really loved the way you guys celebrate it.
We appreciate those who fight for the country and help with anything. Thank you for sharing this post!