Memorial Day
“I well remember them, and my soul is downcast within me. Yet this I call to mind and therefore I have hope” — Lamentations 3:20-21 NIV
The first national observance of what would become Memorial Day occurred on May 30, 1868. It began as a day of decorating the cemetery for civil war casualties and became a day of mourning the death of our soldiers, airman, sailors, and all military who lost their lives in any war since then.
The day is meant to cause us to remember the fact that our fellow citizens, those who have gone before us, were willing to take up arms and die so we may live freely today. It is a day to express gratitude for the sacrifice of our military and a reminder to use the power of memory to be thankful for what others have done for us.
This week, let’s be grateful as we recall others who have enriched our lives by their helping hand or hopeful word or act of kindness, too.
