This has been a crazy couple of weeks and an emotional roller coaster of a weekend.  Just as our long weekend started, my daughter came down with a fever and body aches – she was miserable and mama was stressed.  Yesterday I felt the joy and excitement for my niece as she celebrated her college graduation.  All the while, I was thinking about Memorial Day and what it means. 

As my daughter gets older and asks me questions, I am faced with how much I really don’t know!  It reminded me of how much I don’t know about many aspects of my father’s life.  Though he did not die while active in the service, he served decades in the military, but he never wanted to share those experiences.  I wish I had just a glimpse of his ventures and tribulations when he was young.  But, I do know how fortunate I’ve been to have had him as my father.

I also had no idea that Memorial Day used to be called Decoration Day, which commemorated the Union and Confederate soldiers who died in the Civil War (guess I wasn’t listening in school).  During Decoration Day, families would have an extended family gathering, put flowers on family graves and often have a religious service and “dinner on the ground” (similar to a potluck).    And, now when I have a Memorial weekend family BBQ, there will be more thought behind the celebration. 
 

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sources: Wikipedia, quote from Quote Garden
photo credits: Yellow Roses – Judy@LHNH
disclosure: cmp.ly/4 and cmp.ly/5

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