Once again America will celebrate Memorial Day Weekend. It’s a holiday that is bittersweet for many people. I am looking forward to enjoying a long weekend.
This is an opportunity to gather with family members, a time for reflection and visiting cemeteries to remember those who have passed on before us.
By going to the cemeteries, we can take time to pay respect to those loved ones, even if it’s but for a fews moments.
My wife Pat and I for years have decorated graves at four different cemeteries in Shawnee and Oklahoma City. We go to Resurrection and Fairlawn Cemetery in Oklahoma City where both of my mothers, my dad, brother, two sets of grandparents, two aunts and an uncle were laid to rest.
At Resthaven and Fairview in Shawnee is where Pat’s dad, sister, grandmother and other relatives are buried. Her sister passed away a little over six years ago.
In the past, Pat and her mom have decorated the graves in Shawnee.
This year, Pat and I will handle that. It’s difficult for her mom to get around in the cemeteries anymore.
My biological mother has been dead for more than 71 years.
My dad was a World War II veteran and this August will mark 35 years he has been gone. My uncle also served his country for eight years in the Air National Guard and passed away almost nine years ago.
At this time of year, I try and reflect on those family members who have gone on to their resting place. One of my aunts died at the age of 16, several years before I was even born, but she’s in several pictures that have been passed down to me.
For those who have suffered the loss of a loved one, especially recently, I can understand that feeling. .
It was 25 years ago that my brother died three days before this long weekend.
I did some research a couple years ago on how this holiday originated.
I know it’s an annual holiday and is observed on the last Monday in May each year. It also honors the men and women who have made the ultimate sacrifice while serving in the U.S. military and protecting Americans, its borders, and the freedoms we so much enjoy.
According to the website history.com, it originally was known as Decoration Day. It originated in the year following the end of the Civil War.
The Civil War ended in the Spring of 1865. Until researching this holiday, I didn’t realize that the Civil War claimed more lives than any other conflict in U.S. history that succeeded it until the Vietnam War.
This, I understand, led to the establishment of the country’s first national cemeteries.
It became an official federal holiday in 1971. Many Americans observe Memorial Day by visiting cemeteries, attending memorials and other activities.
My hope is this weekend people will pause for just a moment to honor our veterans and pay tribute to the sacrifices they had made.