A Day of Remembrance… and Gratitude
Growing up, Memorial Day meant visiting the graves of family members who had died. As a kid, I mostly thought of it as a day I got out of prison (school) and a chance to spend time outdoors. Often, we visited my grandparents’ farm, and while the adults talked quietly and played games, I explored the wilderness (Okay, the woods along the creek.)—imagining adventures, climbing trees, and exploring the vast unknown.
That small emotional grounding helps the transition later when the meaning deepens.
Later, when my children were at home, we went camping and fishing. On one of those trips to the Colorado mountains, my daughter, a first- or second-grader, got up at daybreak and traipsed upstream with me, fishing the beaver ponds. She caught a nice trout out of the river nearby. I was so proud of her.
The years went by, and grandchildren came. My son and his family accompanied my wife and me, you guessed it, camping and fishing. However, we added an additional dimension, “Wheelin,” that’s Four-Wheel Drive excursions, for you folks not into such things. We went on impossible trails to the delight of some of his kids.
Back then, I didn’t fully understand why the adults grew quiet at the cemetery or why some wiped tears from their eyes while standing beside certain graves. Age has a way of teaching us what childhood innocence cannot yet grasp.
Now, years later, I’ve reflected on the true meaning of this great holiday. It’s a day to recognize the sacrifice our wonderful servicemen and women have made to protect our freedoms. I have three brothers and a sister. All of my brothers served in the military. All of my close friends, except one, served in the military. So, I’ve started thanking them for their service.
Today’s blog is a tribute to them and the many others who have served, and an honor to those who have made the ultimate sacrifice.
You’ve probably said it before: “Happy Memorial Day.”
Most people don’t mean any disrespect when they say it. It’s simply become part of our holiday vocabulary. Yet Memorial Day was never originally meant to be a celebration in the traditional sense. For many families, it is still a painful reminder of an empty chair at the table, a folded flag on a shelf, or a son, daughter, husband, wife, or friend who never came home.
Behind every military grave marker is a story that was interrupted. Dreams that went unfinished. Holidays missed with family. Children raised without a mother or father. Parents who carried grief for decades.
Freedom has always cost somebody something.
U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs – History of Memorial Day
The Grand History of Memorial Day
Let’s start with the history behind our modern-day celebration. You might have studied this in your American history class, with lively discussions about why it was important to the people many years ago.
Our nation had just come out of the Civil War (1861-1865), which claimed more than 620,000 soldiers’ lives. As people tried to deal with the tragic loss of lives, many spontaneous memorial gatherings started springing up across the country. Flowers were placed on graves by women in Boalsburg, Pennsylvania—that act became the central symbol of the holiday. That’s why it became known as “Decoration Day.”
National observance of the holiday took place on May 30, 1868, led by General John A. Logan. He was the commander-in-chief of the Grand Army of the Republic, which he organized two years before this date. He ordered the day to be commemorated by the strewing of flowers on the graves of fallen soldiers. In Arlington National Cemetery alone that year, 5,000 people participated. Toward the end of the century, nearly all the Northern states had officially adopted it as a holiday.
After the First World War, with the devastating death of over 116,000, the holiday evolved to honor the fallen heroes of all wars and gradually transitioned to Memorial Day. In 1971, Memorial Day was officially recognized as a federal holiday, with its observance moved to the last Monday in May.
Why should we celebrate Memorial Day by remembering our Military?
A country that forgets the sacrifice of those who have paid the ultimate price will soon lose its vision and purpose.
Our vets need us to remember the bravery of those who served. Vets don’t usually seek praise, but they are honored when we remember that the horror of war took the life of someone’s son or daughter. War is never just headlines, strategies, or politics. It is somebody’s child. Somebody’s spouse. Somebody’s best friend.
Every military cemetery is filled with interrupted stories and acts of courage; most of us will never see this side of eternity.
While most people who go to the cemetery to decorate a lost loved one’s grave on Memorial Day aren’t there for a soldier, yet, symbolically, they are celebrating our heroes. Even those who gather for a barbecue, picnic, or other outing this weekend are also recognizing the sacrifice of the many who served and are no longer with us. So, take time, in whatever you are doing on May 25 this year, to say a prayer, bow your head in reverence, and remember our beloved service people, past and present.
Although Veterans Day is a separate time of remembering those who serve, Memorial Day can and should be an additional time to remember them, because those who serve and have served have friends and close associates who have lost their lives. By remembering the living with the dead, we honor both.
“Freedom survives because someone was willing to stand between danger and the people they loved.”
Should I celebrate when others are grieving?
That’s a touchy question. I think there are several things to consider.
- Take time during your celebration to honor our heroes
- Take a moment at 3:00 p.m., remove your hat for a thirty-second moment of silence
The National Moment of Remembrance was established to encourage Americans to pause at 3:00 p.m. local time on Memorial Day. You can learn more here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Moment_of_Remembrance
- Incorporate time in your celebration, a time that praises the courage of our military
“Every flag waving freely today was paid for by someone who gave tomorrow so we could have today.”
Should Memorial Day be family time?
Building joyful memories with family does not dishonor the fallen. In many ways, it honors the very freedoms they fought to preserve.
- Go on a picnic at a memorial park
- Go camping, hiking, fishing, and sightseeing, build memories
- Go to a concert, game, or enjoy a museum
- Help an elderly person in need
Heroes Hall of Fame
Hebrews 11 reminds us that heaven keeps its own Hall of Fame.
Scripture honors ordinary men and women who trusted God in extraordinary circumstances. Some conquered kingdoms. Others endured suffering. Some were delivered. Others gave everything they had while still holding onto faith.
Their stories remind us that sacrifice, courage, and faith are never forgotten by God.
First, we recognize God as the source of our faith. Through faith, these heroes performed wonders.
Through faith, Abel understood what atonement for his sin required: an animal sacrifice. Enoch never saw death and walked home with God because of his extreme faith in the Almighty. Noah saved mankind through obedience to God’s command. Through faith, Abraham didn’t hold his son back when God asked him to offer Isaac as a sacrifice. He knew God would provide, and he trusted the Lord. We could go on talking about Sara, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Moses, and the deliverance of the people of Israel. The point is, Hebrews 11 is a tribute to those who trusted God, and their faith is a monument to who they were.
Today, we have an opportunity to create a Hall of Fame for our heroes by remembering their sacrifice. Let us never ever forget their cost and the cost of freedom.
If you would like to read the “Hall of Faith” chapter for yourself, you can find Hebrews 11 here:
Hebrews 11 – BibleGateway
Stay Connected
This Memorial Day, while you enjoy family, laughter, food, and fellowship, pause for a moment and remember the men and women who never had the opportunity to grow old with those they loved.
Visit a cemetery. Thank a veteran. Pray for a grieving family. Teach your children why freedom is important and must be preserved.
And never forget that liberty has always been defended by ordinary people willing to make extraordinary sacrifices.
Remembrance is a flower placed in the mind next to a hero who has gone on before us.
One who enjoys life and appreciates his family while remembering why he can live such an incredible life is a person who has built his house on the solid rock. My prayer is that you will stay connected to the source of our salvation while sharing its benefits and sacrifices with others.
We are not an island; we are a continent of hope.
This Memorial Day, be the hope for a vet, and remember the sacrifice of their fallen comrades.
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