Memorial day is certainly a day to spend with family and loved ones and to cherish the time, and may our hearts go out to all of those who have ever lost loved ones to war, remember also those who have fought and returned and must try to stifle horrible memories and move on with life.
I remember when my cousin Ken was returning from Iraq. Wow. What a day for him, for his parents, and his girlfriend (now, wife) Alison. I had anticipation and excitement for his return, but I got goosebumps just thinking about the feelings Ken, Alison, Jack & Jan must have been feeling. Ken has experienced feelings and emotions that I will never experience in my life. I hope that the victorious feeling of return was a little bit of redemption for him. Memorial Day is certainly a day that should honor those who have served and those family members of soldiers who have served. How can our country bring that back?
Here are a few traditions:
**Memorial Day used to be called Decoration Day - a day to decorate the graveyard
**Red Poppy - Inspired by a poem entitled, “In Flanders Fields”, the poppy has become the flower symbol for the Memorial Day Holiday. From the poem, written by Canadian physician and soldier John McCrae, we develop a sense that the poppy represents the blood shed by soldiers during times of war. Although the poem was written by McCrae, the poppy was first recognized as the Memorial Day flower in 1915 when a woman by the name of Moina Michael began to sell poppies in an effort to encourage further recognition of the day. Michael helped to begin the National Poppy movement and to commemorate her efforts a 3-cent stamp was created in her honor.
The poppy, by nature, is a wildflower. It’s seed will lie stagnant in the ground until it is disturbed. During times of war, soldiers would, inadvertently, churn ground as they marched though fields. The result was a beautiful and overabundant growth of poppy flowers found to flourish in conditions where most other flowers would die. Also during war, poppies were often used by physicians in administering morphine to soldiers in pain as it produces a by-product opium painreliever.
In honor of our veterans, planting a family of poppies in your own garden is simple. Whether you live in a house, condominium or apartment, the poppy is a flower that grows in abundance and is somewhat resilient in inclement conditions. Poppies grow 12 to 24” in height with annual blooms 65-90 days in length. Poppies prefer full sun to partial shade and will grow in moist soil but prefer well drained and slightly drier climates. Your first blooms will show in early to mid summer. Keep weeds down with mulching and water only during extended dry periods. By adding a general fertilizer once a month, your poppies will provide beautiful blooms for your summer enjoyment. So, begin a new family tradition and plant poppies this Memorial Day in remembrance of the soldiers who committed their lives for our country and for a daily reflection of peace and beauty
http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/26794/red_poppies_a_memorial_day_tradition.html?cat=32
1 comment:
Well said, Brenda, and thanks for sharing those thoughts. I appreciated that your Mom sent pictures of Mom and Dad's grave with the wreath she had put there even though it brought tears. I wanted to stop at the cemetary in Fort Benton today when I went through but it was raining. Maybe Roger and I will go later to see his Mom's grave. There is also a beautiful view from there overlooking the Missouri River. aha...an idea for a blog posting :)I may also have to look into planting poppies!
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