Memorial Day has morphed into a weekend of fun marking the beginning of summer, with little thought to the real meaning of the holiday which is to honor the memories of those who have passed on before us, particularly those who died in service of their country. Three years after the Civil War ended, Decoration Day was celebrated at Arlington National Cemetery on May 30, 1868, with flowers placed at the graves of those who died in that war. After WWI the last Monday in May was designated as Memorial Day to honor the dead of all American wars, and later families adopted the day to decorate the graves of anyone who was dearly departed. Amidst the barbeques and picnics, pause and toast the family members loved and lost, raise the flag to those who perished in wars, lay a flower on a grave.
The BattlefieldThey dropped like flakes, they dropped like stars,
Like petals from a rose
When suddenly across the June
A wind with fingers goes.
They perished in the seamless grass,
No eye could find the place;
But God on his repealless list
Can summon every face.
-Emily Dickinson
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