Wednesday, May 30, 2007

Brief Thoughts on Memorial Day

Congress designated May 30 as the official Memorial Day to honor the memory, originally, of the Civil War Dead. Eventually the idea expanded to honor living veterans as well as all dead. The day was changed to a Monday about 30 years ago so people could ignore the pain of war, particularly Viet Nam, by having a three day weekend to start the summer. And so retailers could market their products with sales.
I depart from my normal format to present a poem I wrote about my mother-in-law, a strong woman with, sadly, a broken soul. She died five years ago over Memorial Day weekend.

Please feel free to click on comments beneath each entry and share your thoughts. Or to petition to restore Memorial day at http://www.thepetitionsite.com/takeaction/994208286

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