Memorial Day was once known as Decoration Day. I don't think I remember my grandparents ever calling the holiday Memorial Day. It was always Decoration Day. Each Decoration Day, when I was a child, Granny would gather flowers from her beautiful gardens. At the end of May, there were Peonies, Roses and Iris. She would place them in Mason jars and load them in the car. Early that morning, she would fry chicken and put together a picnic lunch. We spent the morning and afternoon, going from one country cemetery to another, decorating the graves of loved ones. Along the way, we would have our lunch and visit with others, who were decorating the cemeteries. It was a time to remember, and a time to visit with friends and family, we may not have seen since the previous Decoration Day.
The custom of decorating graves of those who gave their lives serving our country, began just after the Civil War. Women of the south brought flowers to the graves of soldiers from the north and south. Later, Memorial Day was designated an official holiday, the date, May 30th. Now it is observed the last Monday of May.
People around the country still bring flowers to the little country cemeteries and the larger cemeteries in towns. There are also ceremonies of remembrance.
Memorial Day signals the official beginning of the summer season. While we enjoy this holiday, we pause and remember those who have made the ultimate sacrifice for our freedom and our family members who are no longer with us.
We leave for the lake tomorrow afternoon. We'll spend the holiday with family, enjoying fishing and relaxing. We will also be remembering.
Have a safe and wonderful Memorial Day!
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These photos were taken at Sacred Heart Church. J and his family have been members of Sacred Heart Parish since the early 1940's. The statue was given by J and his brothers, in memory of their parents and brother. Recently, a rose garden was planted near the statue. The white rose is the Pope John Paul II, Commemorative Rose.
