MEMORIAL DAY

Memorial Day, originally called Decoration Day, is a day of remembrance for those who have died in our nation's service. There are many stories as to its actual beginnings, with more than two dozen cities and towns laying claim to being the birthplace of Memorial Day. There is also evidence that organized women's groups in the South were decorating graves before the end of the Civil War. While Waterloo, New York, was officially declared the birthplace of Memorial Day by President Lyndon Johnson in May 1966, it's difficult to prove conclusively the origins of the day. It is more likely that it had many separate beginnings; each of those towns and every planned or spontaneous gathering of people to honor the war dead in the 1860's tapped into the general human need to honor our dead, each contributed honorably to the growing movement that culminated in General Logan giving his official proclamation in 1868. It is not important who was the very first, what is important is that Memorial Day was established. Memorial Day is not about division. It is about reconciliation; it is about coming together to honor those who gave their all.

Memorial Day was officially proclaimed on May 5, 1868 by General John Logan, National Commander of the Grand Army of the Republic, and was first observed on May 30, 1868, when flowers were placed on the graves of Union and Confederate soldiers at Arlington National Cemetery. The first state to officially recognize the holiday was New York in 1873. By 1890 it was recognized by all of the northern states. The South refused to acknowledge the day, honoring their dead on separate days until after World War I (when the holiday changed from honoring just those who died fighting in the Civil War to honoring Americans who died fighting in any war). It is now celebrated in almost every state of the Union on the last Monday in May (passed by Congress with the National Holiday Act of 1971 to ensure a three day weekend for Federal holidays), though several southern states have an additional separate day for honoring the Confederate war dead: January 19 in Texas, April 26 in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, and Mississippi; May 10 in South Carolina; and June 3 (Jefferson Davis' birthday) in Louisiana and Tennessee.

Traditional observance of Memorial day has diminished over the years. Many Americans have forgotten the meaning and traditions of Memorial Day. At many cemeteries, the graves of the fallen are increasingly ignored or neglected. Most people no longer remember the proper flag etiquette for the day. While there are towns and cities that still hold Memorial Day parades, many have not held a parade in decades. Some people think the day is for honoring any and all dead, and not just those fallen in service to our country.

There are a few notable exceptions. Since the late 1950s, on the Thursday before Memorial Day, the 1,200 soldiers of the 3rd U.S. Infantry place small American flags at each of the more than 260,000 gravestones at Arlington National Cemetery. They then patrol 24 hours a day during the weekend to ensure that each flag remains standing. In 2004, Washington D.C. held its first Memorial Day parade in more than 60years.

To help re-educate and remind Americans of the true meaning of Memorial Day, the "National Moment of Remembrance" resolution was passed in December, 2000, which states that at 3 p.m. local time, for all Americans "To voluntarily and informally observe in their own way a moment of remembrance and respect, pausing from whatever they are doing for a moment of silence or listening to "Taps."

The Moment of Remembrance is a step in the right direction to returning the meaning back to the day. What is needed is a full return to the original day of observance. Set aside one day out of the year for the nation to get together to remember, reflect and honor those who have given their all in service to their country.

But what may be needed to return the solemn, and even sacred, spirit back to Memorial Day is for a return to its traditional day of observance. Many feel that when Congress made the day into a three-day weekend (in with the National Holiday Act of 1971), it made it all the easier for people to be distracted from the spirit and meaning of the day. As the VFW stated in its 2002 Memorial Day address: "Changing the date merely to create three-day weekends has undermined the very meaning of the day. No doubt, this has contributed greatly to the general public's nonchalant observance of Memorial Day."

On January 19, 1999, Senator Inouye introduced Senate Bill 189 in the Senate which proposes to restore the traditional day of observance of Memorial Day back to May 30 instead of "the last Monday in May". On April 19, 1999, Representative Gibbons introduced the bill to the House (H.R. 1474). The bills were referred the Committee on the Judiciary and the Committee on Government Reform. To date, there has been no further development on the bills.

TAKE A MOMENT TO STOP AND REMEMBER - - AS OUR FAMILY DOES:


My Great-Grandfather Levi Shirkey, Meigs County, Ohio volunteer.

NATIONAL MOMENT OF REMEMBRANCE

For many Americans, Memorial Day signifies a guaranteed three-day weekend, one when corporate buildings, the post office, and government offices are closed. But Memorial Day is much more than that; it’s a time for Americans to collectively reflect on the impact of the lives lost in U.S. wars and to celebrate all war veterans, a national day of mourning.

Many cities, towns, and states hold traditional celebrations over the three-day holiday weekend. Holiday activities include parades and visits to national cemeteries where United States war veterans are buried. According to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs website, “on Memorial Day the flag should be flown at half-staff from sunrise until noon only, then raised briskly to the top of the staff until sunset, in honor of the nation’s battle heroes.”

According to the United States Department of Veterans Affairs (the VA), Memorial Day historically signified the day that U.S. individuals recognized those who fought, and more importantly, those who died in the Civil War. Although it began as a tribute only to those who fought in the Civil War, it is now considered a day of observance to recognize soldiers who have fought in all U.S. wars.

The actual date of remembrance has varied over time; the VA has record of past days of observance on April 25th, May 5th, and May 30th. Since the 1970s, Memorial Day has been observed on the last day in May. Furthermore, since the year 2000, U.S. citizens have been asked to pause for one minute of silence at 3 p.m. on Memorial Day, to commemorate all who died as they served the United States; this minute of silence is called the National Moment of Remembrance.

Look for the history of Memorial Day tomorrow.

TO REALIZE

To realize
The value of a sister/brother
Ask someone
Who doesn't have one.

To realize
The value of ten years
Ask a newly
Divorced couple.

To realize
The value of four years
Ask a graduate.

To realize
The value of one year
Ask a student who
Has failed a final exam.

To realize
The value of nine months
Ask a mother who gave birth to a stillborn.

To realize
The value of one month
Ask a mother
Who has given birth to
A premature baby.

To realize
The value of one week
Ask an editor of a weekly newspaper.

To realize
The value of one minute
Ask a person
Who has missed the train, bus or plane.

To realize
The value of one-second
Ask a person
Who has survived an accident.

Time waits for no one.

Treasure every moment you have.

You will treasure it even more when
You can share it with someone special.

To realize the value of a friend or family member
LOSE ONE.

EMBROIDERY

I used to embroider and when I was a young bride, as a Valentine's Day surprise, I embroidered hearts and peace symbols (hey, it was the 70s!) on a pair of my husband's briefs. Being a good sport, he wore them. When I was doing the laundry, I noticed smudges at the top of the underwear. Usually, there were smudges at the fly of his underwear. Working on the assembly line, he was lucky to have enough time to pee, let alone wash his hands before going to the bathroom (at least that's what he told me!).

I asked him what had happened and he said, "Didn't you notice you sewed the fly closed?" He continued, "I had to take down my PANTIES every time I had to pee!" He never wore the briefs again, but they are in the corner of his dresser drawer after 38 years!

WHERE DO YOU PUT YOUR PURSE?

My great-niece Aron has posted this question on Facebook: "WHEN YOU COME HOME, WHERE DO YOU PUT YOUR PURSE?"

When I come home, I put my purse in the shoe basket by the door. I seldom carry a purse as I put my debit card/credit card in "the safe"--my bra--I sometimes take my wallet with me in restaurants to be able to have money for tips--but my bra will only hold so much!

I cannot tolerate women setting their purses on my kitchen and dining room tables or on my counters. When it occurs, I diplomatically pick up the purse and place it somewhere else where we do not eat or prepare food. One time a woman picked up her purse and put it back on the table. Obviously, diplomacy went out the window! I told her of the dangers and especially since I had a tablecloth on the table and not just bare wood that it was doubly dangerous of contamination.

I throw my purse in the back floorboard of my car. I see women set their purses in shopping carts and on the floors in restaurants and I've also noticed women setting purses on the floors in public restrooms.

Dr. Oz recently had several audience members bring their purses to be swabbed and the women were shocked to learn of the hazardous organisms present on their purses. Dr. Oz asked them where their purses had been setting that day. One told how she had set her purse down on the floor in a public restroom. That purse had evidence of feces on the bottom of the purse; you can imagine the staph and other organisms on that purse! I do not want THAT purse or any others on my tables! Of course Dr. Oz warned them of having their purses on surfaces where food is prepared or eaten.

MEETING JOHN RAITT

In 1969, I saw John Raitt perform in "Camelot" at the Kenley Players. "Camelot" was always my favorite Rodgers and Hammerstein musical and my brother Gary and his wife were supposed to take me to see it in 1962, but that did not happen. They were supposed to take me to see "Oklahoma!" in 1961 but that didn't happen either.

My mother loved John Raitt as did I. In 1992, I was thrilled when I saw the advertisement in our local newspaper that Raitt was scheduled to perform as part of the Fayette Area Community Concert Association. Although I had not purchased a season ticket, I was able to manage acquiring two tickets. The enthusiastic audience was mostly people older than myself. My mother and I thoroughly enjoyed the program as it was Raitt and a piano accompanist performing "And then I sang........" which was exactly what we wanted. He was incredibly handsome, physically fit and with a very strong voice for someone aged 75.

While waiting in line to have my tape and program autographed, another woman and I were discussing the different Kenley Players productions he had performed; I mentioned that I had also seen his daughter perform. She asked, "He has a daughter who performs?" I answered, "Yes, Bonnie Raitt; she's won a whole bunch of Grammys!" The woman said she had never heard of her. I answered that she was far more famous than her father. The woman answered, huffily, "Well, if I haven't heard of her, then I doubt that!"

As I have written before, my mother answered questions with song lyrics and would never allow a child of hers to be "put down". My mother, unlike her contemporary who had just upbraided me, also "kept up" with current music. Mother poked me and asked, "Should I start to sing "Something To Talk About"?" She and I both laughed and started singing! Others "shusshed" us into stopping singing--and into good behavior!

When we were finally in front of Mr. Raitt, I told him about seeing him in the Kenley Players. We chatted about the Kenley productions and he said that I must have been a baby then! I laughed and my mother said, "She's your daughter's age." I said, "My mother and I were just singing "Something To Talk About" while we were in line; we love Bonnie!" He answered, "I heard you!" I told him I saw the wedding photos where he was wearing a kilt and he beamed proudly, and asked, "I sure did a good job there, didn't I?" He was as charming offstage as he was onstage.

As Mother and I turned to leave, the "huffy lady" was next in line. As I left, I couldn't help myself, and I said, "Be sure to ask about his daughter!"