Soldier, rest, thy warfare o’er,
Dream of fighting fields no more.
Sleep the sleep that knows not breaking,
Morn of toi=
l, nor night of waking.
=
Sir Walter Scott
&=
nbsp;
Memorial Day began as a=
memorial for Civil War veterans. It has become both a National Decor=
ation Day of family graves, and the holiday that opens the summer season.&n=
bsp; It is celebrated with backyard barbecues, outdoor picnics, and parades=
=2E
Virginia honored her war dead in the months follow=
ing the War (1865) and it was from this practice that the tradition spread.=
Waterloo, New York was recognized by President Lyndon Johnson and bo=
th houses of Congress, as the birthplace of the "official" Memori=
al Day in the North because the town decorated the graves of Civil War vete=
rans as early as May 5, 1866. General John A. Logan of the Grand Army of th=
e Republic designated May 30, 1868, "as a day for strewing with flower=
s or otherwise decorating the graves of comrades who died in defense of the=
ir country, and whose bodies now lie in almost every city, village, or haml=
et churchyard in the land…It is the purpose of the commander-in-chi=
ef to inaugurate this observance with the hope that it will be kept f=
rom year to year while a survivor of the war remains to honor the mem=
ory of the departed."
 =
;
No survivor of that war rem=
ains, but the memories of it grow longer. As do our memories of the p=
arades with floats; civic organizations and drum majorettes twirling their =
batons; lines and lines of young veterans from The Gulf War and shorter lin=
es of older men who saw service in Korea, World War I and World War II.&nbs=
p; As long as there are wars, there will be veterans and casualties. We wil=
l still decorate the graves of those men whose bodies came home and remembe=
r those who don’t.
The custom of placing flowers upon=
graves is an old one and exists in many countries. The Greeks had ri=
tes called ‘zoai’, which were performed over each new grave. If the f=
lowers took root and blossomed on the graves, it meant the souls were sendi=
ng back the message that they had found happiness. The Roman festival=
, called Parentalia, or Day of the Fathers, lasted for eight days in Februa=
ry–violets and roses were the special flowers. Whatever the flower, =
wherever the grave, this placing of flowers upon graves has always seemed t=
he natural thing to do.
Today, most states officially =
recognize the May Memorial Day as a legal holiday, but it is now celebrated=
on the last Monday in May in every state. Over time the holida=
y has expanded to encompass our other national wars. Although Veteran=
‘s Day is celebrated as well, Memorial Day has become the most important da=
y of recognition of our armed forces.
Take a few minut=
es today from the hectic 2026 life to "walk back in your mind" to=
the time of remembrance. Walk through a local cemetery and place a f=
lower on graves of fallen soldiers, saying a prayer of thankfulness for the=
m and a prayer of remembrance and encouragement for the family whose loved =
ones’ body rests there.
~~
Dr Bob Griffin
[email protected] www.grif.net
Continue steadfastly in prayer, being watchful in it with thanksgiving. At=
the same time, pray also for us, that God may open to us a door for the wo=
rd, to declare the mystery of Christ.” (Col. 4:2-3)
=