On Monday our nation celebrates Memorial Day. It was originally called Decoration Day and was first celebrated in 1866 in Waterloo, New York as they began an annual event in which residents decorated the graves of Civil War soldiers with flowers and flags. By 1890 the tradition had spread throughout the United States.
Memorial Day was later extended to include the American military personnel who died in World War I and then all subsequent wars including World War II, the Vietnam War, the Korean War and the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Typically, towns, villages and cities across our country hold parades and other celebrations this weekend to honor our soldiers who fought and died. No doubt this year’s celebrations will be canceled or dramatically reduced in scope due to the Coronavirus.
But we shouldn’t let the lack of festive celebrations stop us from taking time to honor the brave men and women who have served in our armed forces and gave what Abraham Lincoln famously described as “the last full measure of devotion.” Our soldiers laid down their lives to protect and defend our nation, to ensure our liberty and to defend the rights of others in far off lands.
Let us all take a moment this weekend to honor those sacrifices. And let us pray too for those heroic men and women who wear the uniform today and are stationed around the world protecting and defending us right now.
And as our world faces a new global threat from the COVID-19 pandemic, let us also lift up a prayer for our medical and health care personnel who are risking their lives each day to serve those who are infected with the virus and to continue to care for all those who are sick, elderly or infirm. May God bless them and protect them as they too make heroic sacrifices to bring healing and peace to our world.
God Bless,
