Memorial Day. It is a day of remembrance of our fallen soldiers. It began after the Civil War as Decoration Day when graves of Union and Confederate soldiers were adorned to honor their sacrifice. In the 1960s it officially became the national holiday we know today. It now honors all Americans that have died while in military service. It should not be confused with Veterans Day but often is.
At times I have spent Memorial Day riding the rural roads of Missouri. From the back of our bike I have seen many small Ozark graveyards ablaze with red, white and blue floral arrangements. I wondered how old those graves were and who were the adorners.
As a child, I watched an older couple walk out onto a bridge and toss a wreath into the river below. I asked my mother why and learned that their son had been killed at sea many years prior. That ceremony was their special yearly remembrance of him. Being a child, I had so hoped that wreath could somehow find its way to their son. I still do.
Memorial Day. There are some things we should never forget.
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