Good Morning Family!
Tomorrow, we remember and celebrate on Memorial Day. I say remember, because that is what the day is all about. I say celebrate because it is a two-fold celebration. We celebrate the lives of those who have given the ultimate sacrifice in service to their country.
I realize that Memorial Day has “evolved” over the years into more of a start of summer activities. I was watching a video one day where an interviewer was doing “man on the street” questions with people at a beach who were there “celebrating” Memorial Day. I understand the video can be edited to show people in a better or worse light, but it was shocking to hear some of the answers from folks who sincerely had no idea what Memorial Day even was and a few of them didn’t really seem to care. It was just a day off to party. Surprisingly to me, there were plenty of people like that. In the video, those ignorant of Memorial Day’s meaning were not just young people, but even adults over fifty-five and sixty.
I suppose those folks may not have been raised with a healthy dose of patriotism or even reverence for family members that have preceded them in death. I am so thankful that my family passed down a legacy of remembering. I knew that Memorial Day was not “the beginning of summer”, but the day when we got in the car and did a little travelling to cemeteries and to see relatives in Sedalia, Missouri, and a few places around that vicinity. It was not the day we headed off to the lake. Please understand, I’m not begrudging anyone who goes out on the lake this weekend at all. I’m merely commenting on how it was in my family back in the day. My parents and grandparents even used to use the term “Decoration Day” when talking about the day to the children.
As always, my prayer is that we would all, “Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the Word of truth.” II Timothy 2:15
Humbly Yours,
Bro. Steven
Dr. Steven Gann
Your Shepherd of the Hills
