May 30 is a grass roots holiday. It was first started in Boalsburg, Pennsylvania in 1864 when local people decorated the graves of Civil War soldiers. The trend spread and soon became a “ritual of remembrance and reconciliation.” Following the War-To-End-All-Wars, Congress included the dead from the First World War.
Now the reality is that it honors all our brothers and sisters who served, many of whom died in service to our country. We call it Memorial Day.
It never was meant as a sales promotion for Mega-Mart.
It’s a time to reflect on the sacrifice the living and dead have made for our country and, by extension, us.
It isn’t just a day off to mark the beginning of summer.
It is a time to have family around you. The death of each of these men and women ended a family line of possibilities. Who knows what other friends and family would gather with us if these lives were not cut short. Their sacrifice makes us their spiritual descendents and we should honor that every day.
It’s not a time to catch up on house or yard work, but it may be a time to tend to forgotten service mens’ graves.
Use Memorial Day to celebrate your freedoms any way you want including the sale at Mega-Mart. Just remember that someone paid the price for that freedom. Spend it wisely.
