Wishing you a very Happy Memorial Day~

Hello Sweet Friends,

Summer is upon us.  Time for the beach, time for resting and time for fun. It's a good time of the year. Monday is Memorial Day. It's a day that most of us make good food and spend time with our family and friends. But do you know the real meaning of Memorial Day?

Did you know that all Americans are also supposed to pause for a minute of silence at 3 p.m. local time on Memorial Day to pay tribute to the men and women who died while serving the nation?. Congress instituted this practice in 2000 with the passage of The National Moment of Remembrance Act, so this is one Memorial Day activity that is actually the law.

On Memorial Day, the flag of the United States is raised briskly to the top of the staff and then solemnly lowered to the half-staff position, where it remains only until noon. It is then raised to full-staff for the remainder of the day.
Did you know that it wasn't always called Memorial Day?When Memorial Day was originally created, it was actually called Decoration Day. Memorial Day is a federal holiday in the United States for remembering the people who died while serving in the country’s armed forces. The holiday, which is observed every year on the last Monday of May, originated as Decoration Day after the American Civil War in 1868. Memorial Day eventually extended to honor all Americans who died while in the military service. It typically marks the start of the summer vacation season, while Labor Day marks its end.
 
Many people visit cemeteries and memorials, particularly to honor those who have died in military service. Many volunteers place an American flag on each grave in national cemeteries.

Waterloo, N.Y. The birthplace of Memorial Day May 5, 1866

As is the case with many holidays, there is some controversy over when the first Memorial Day actually took place. Even though there is a dispute over where Memorial Day actually originated, President Lyndon B. Johnson and Congress declared Waterloo, N.Y. the official birthplace of Memorial Day, and no one can take that away from the city in the Finger Lakes region of upstate New York. Waterloo earned this distinction because a local pharmacist named Henry C. Welles came up with the idea to place flowers on the graves of those who fought in the Civil War in the summer of 1865. Gen. John B. Murray eventually helped Welles organize the memorial, which took place on May 5, 1866. The celebration was held every year after.
 
Although Memorial Day began as a way to honor those who died while serving in the Civil War, once the U.S. became embroiled in World War I and subsequent wars, the holiday expanded to honor the fallen in any conflict.
 
The name of the holiday was also changed to Memorial Day around the time of World War I. Memorial Day celebrations had always taken place on May 30, the date of the first one organized by Logan in 1868. However, Congress signed the Uniform Monday Holiday Act of 1968, which mandated that Memorial Day would be one of four holidays observed on a Monday (the other three are George Washington’s birthday, Labor Day and Columbus Day). Congress declared Memorial Day a national holiday to be observed on the last Monday of May in 1971.







Thank you to our men and women in uniform....past, present and future. May God Bless you and thank you.

Have a wonderful and peaceful Memorial Day~
xoxo
Janet~