Monday Ministerial Musings
By Rev. Mark William Ennis
2022 Blog #21
May 30, 2022
It Is Memorial Day!
Yes, it is Memorial Day. It is a day to remember. Do we remember what we are to be remembering or have we forgotten?
Memorial Day began during the Civil War. Unlike today, at that time regiments were formed exclusively from a particular town, or perhaps a county. If a regiment was destroyed in battle, potentially all the young men of an entire town could be killed. The impact of such an occurrence could be devastating to a small town.
Whenever a regiment mustered out of the army it would return to its town and parade up the main street to be greeted by town residents. For regiments that suffered high casualty rates, the town was more grief-stricken than joyous as the regiment returned. Gold star mothers and other women who supported them began to trail behind this welcome parade and play funeral dirges lamenting their fallen husbands, sons and neighbors. Soon this custom became more of an anti-war protest than just a simple lamentation parade.
Memorial Day is a time to remember that in order to enjoy the life we have, many of our young warriors died. The blessings we have did not come for free. Thousands have died and many more family members and friends of the fallen are stricken with grief. Let us not forget that.
Amid the picnics and the Memorial Day sales, as we look at parades let us not forget to remember our fallen heroes and those grief-stricken by their fall. Please, let us remember what it is that we are to be remembering today. It is not the happiest of memories, but it is what this weekend and this day are all about.
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