Memorial Day May 31, 2021

by Bishop Mariann | May 31, 2021

Originally known as Decoration Day, Memorial Day originated in the years following the Civil War, which claimed more lives than any conflict in U.S. history and required the establishment of the country’s first national cemeteries. By the late 1860s, Americans in various towns and cities had begun holding springtime tributes to these countless fallen soldiers, decorating their graves with flowers and reciting prayers.

Now a holiday to remember all those lost to us in war, Memorial Day touches that place of grief we all feel with the death of those we love. After a year of great loss in our land, we are united in grief and thanksgiving for the lives of those taken from this earth too soon. We honor their lives, and this day and every day, we remember them.

We Remember Them

At the rising sun and at its going down; We remember them.

At the blowing of the wind and in the chill of winter; We remember them.

At the opening of the buds and in the rebirth of spring; We remember them.

At the blueness of the skies and in the warmth of summer; We remember them.

At the rustling of the leaves and in the beauty of the autumn; We remember them.

At the beginning of the year and when it ends; We remember them.

As long as we live, they too will live, for they are now a part of us as We remember them.

When we are weary and in need of strength; We remember them.

When we are lost and sick at heart; We remember them.

When we have decisions that are difficult to make; We remember them.

When we have joy we crave to share; We remember them.