Although most people associate Memorial Day with the unofficial start of summer, backyard barbecues, pool parties, and vacations, let us not forget the true reason for this sacred holiday. Memorial Day is much more than just an extra day off of work or school. It is a solemn day of remembrance for all of the men and women who died serving in the U.S. military fighting for our freedom. It is a day devoted to honoring the sacrifices that they made so that we may enjoy our present lives and liberties.
Recently, I learned a few new things about this holiday that I did not know and I wanted to share with you. Memorial Day was originally known as “Decoration Day” and started after the Civil War ended to honor the fallen Union and Confederate soldiers by decorating their graves with flowers, flags, and wreaths. The official name of the holiday did not legally change to Memorial Day until 1967. Although the first national celebration of Memorial Day took place on May 30, 1868 at Arlington National Cemetery, a historian at Yale (David W. Blight) tells a different story about its true origins. He traced the first celebration of Memorial Day to May 1, 1865 in Charleston, South Carolina, where a group of freed slaves gathered to commemorate the death of 257 union soldiers who had been buried in a mass grave in a Confederate prison camp. They dug up the bodies and worked for 2 weeks to give each of them a proper burial as gratitude for fighting for their freedom. Then they held a parade of 10,000 people led by 2,800 black children where they marched, sang, and celebrated.
Although we may be unable to gather in large groups with our friends and family this year to celebrate Memorial Day due to COVID-19, we can still take time to show gratitude for these heroes. Gratitude is not only a honor to others, but also a gift to give ourselves. Research has found a link between gratitude and reducing blood pressure, decreasing pain, improving mood, and increasing immune function. It shifts our perspective from what is missing in our lives to what we have to be thankful for. I invite you to take time to commemorate all of the fallen heroes this Memorial Day that made the ultimate sacrifice, as well as the beauty of your present life and all that you have to be thankful for. Even more importantly, I invite you to transform this mental exercise into physical action by living with a grateful attitude and expressing gratitude toward all of the people around you. I think John F. Kennedy said it best, “As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter the words, but to live by them.” May this quote inspire you to feel grateful for your freedom today and take action to continue to appreciate it and defend it as those who came before you so bravely did. Happy Memorial Day!
Healthy Wishes,
Katrina