Youngest Daughter pointed out the true meaning of Memorial Day is to remember those who actually died while in service to our country.
Memorial Day was originally called "Decoration Day" and had its start during the Civil War, after the Battle of Gettysburg, when the graves of fallen soldiers on both sides of the battle were decorated with wreaths, flowers and flags.
Our family does have a Civil War veteran in our history, but my great-grandfather Ami Sperry (who was a union soldier) only lost his finger, not his life! Ami's finger was cut off by a confederate soldier's bayonet during a Civil War battle, but Ami lived to have a family after the war.
Wild Bill's uncle Carrol is the only family member who actually fits the definition of a Memorial Day honoree, but Uncle Carrol has no grave in which to decorate as his fighter plane went down in Europe during WWII, and his body was never recovered.
When I was a young child (back in the olden days, but long after the Civil War I assure you) I remember our whole family...from grandparents and uncles to youngest cousins...going to the cemetery and decorating all the graves of our family members who had passed, not just service members.
I do think it was a beautiful thing to do and everyone did it back then in our small California town, not just us!
It was not meant to be disrespectful to fallen military members. In fact my father and almost every one of my uncles joined the military to defend our country during WWII. You can even find one of my uncles, Sperry Stevenson, on the Prisoner of War website as he was held and tortured for many years in a Japanese POW camp.
Both our fathers served in WWII and are now gone. Though they did not die during the war, both suffered from the horrors they saw as young men. I can't help but feel them at my side on this Memorial Day...they both made us better people.
This morning (on a side road) on the way to breakfast, Wild Bill and I passed a young, "20-something" couple sitting on the side of the road with a wheeled basket of what looked like their belongings. The young man had his head in his hands and the girl appeared to be comforting him.
Once we passed them, I quoted to Bill: "There but for fortune go you and I."
And right at that time, I got a message (from our deceased military dads?) that we should not just pass them by, but do something to show we cared.
We went round the block and pulled up beside them and Bill said, "We want to buy you breakfast."
The young man stood up and quietly took the money Bill held out and said, "Thank you."
So now we have started a new Memorial Day tradition for us. We will find one small act of kindness to do each year on this day in memory of our military dads and all those who died in service to our country.
Nothing big...just something random for a stranger. Maybe you'll try it too?
Thanks for dropping by!
What a lovely thing to do. That is a wonderful tradition. God bless you.
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed reading your families military history. We both have several family members who have been in the military but amazingly none lost their lives. I had an uncle who was in the Battle of the Bulge, his whole regiment was killed but he survived with minimal injuries and lived to be 92.
ReplyDeleteI love your random act of kindness.
Mari...my father-in-law was at the Battle of the Bulge! He died last Nov at 95. Small world! Pop was in the trenches and lost most of his hearing due to the artillery shelling going on over their heads constantly. He also had trench mouth so bad due to the filthy conditions. His best friend was shot dead right beside him and they were pinned down for quite a while. He never got over it and fought the battle every night of his life while sleeping. So sad.
DeleteWhat a wonderful thing you did!
ReplyDeleteKathy, we benefitted from it more than the kids did. It was great to just stop quickly and go. They were not asking for money, they were just there and seemed to be in need. I hope they know that people care about them.
ReplyDeleteWhat a lovely thing to do.
ReplyDeleteI love your new tradition! I remember going to decoration day at the cemetery when I was a kid...it was a really big deal and lots of respect shown to those who were in the military! Love and hugs!
ReplyDeleteWe always decorate our family graves at Memorial Day and have done since I was a child. It's one of my favorite things to do. Some have flags, most don't. It doesn't matter. We all serve in one way or another.
ReplyDeleteWell said.
DeleteI like your new tradition of random acts of kindness.
ReplyDeleteI love this tradition, what a kind thing to do any day of the year. And my dad was a tail gunner in WWII. He flew many missions and was shot down a few times, while he made it home, he saw terrible things that he never wanted to speak about. He taught us respect for service and we try to honor all who serve and their families.
ReplyDelete