|
Storytime Tapestry Newsletter
The newsletter devoted to
spreading love and cultural awareness around the world.
May 28, 2007
Today’s Announcements
Happy Memorial Day to all our Americans
Friends
Today’s Memorial Day Stories
~**~**~
Don’t Forget To Remember
By
Pamela
Perry Blaine
In Flanders Fields
In Flanders fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.
We are the Dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved and were loved, and now we lie
In Flanders fields.
Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.
By John McCrae, 1915. Canadian
Waregem, Belgium WW1
368 Americans buried there
Memorial Day was
first observed after the Civil War but at that time it was known as “Decoration
Day”. There was understandably a great
need across our land for families to honor the soldiers who had died in the
war. There were groups of people both in
the North and the South who were decorating graves and honoring their loved
ones who had died in battle.
In the North, there
was a druggist named Henry C. Welles, who lived in Waterloo, N.Y. His idea to do something to honor those who
had died was noted by others in his town and they formed a plan to devote a
special day for that purpose, so on May 5, 1866, the people in the village of
Waterloo, made arrangements of spring flowers into wreaths, crosses, and
bouquets. When they had done this, they
placed one of these arrangements on each veteran's grave. The veterans of the village also led a
processional to the cemeteries and flags were flown at half-mast all over the
town in honor of those who had died in the war.
This observance in Waterloo, N.Y., continued on thereafter as a
yearly observance.
In the
South there was a group of women who were probably one of the earliest groups
who decorated the graves of their fallen husbands, fathers, sons, and
brothers. There was a hymn written about
this in 1867, by Nella L. Sweet. The
dedication reads: “To The Ladies of the South who are Decorating the Graves of the Confederate Dead”
and the hymn reads:
"Kneel Where Our Loves Are Sleeping”
Words by G.W.R.
Music by Mrs. L. Nella Sweet
Kneel where our loves are sleeping, Dear ones days gone by,
Here we bow in holy reverence, Our bosoms heave the heartfelt sigh.
They fell like brave men, true as steel, And pour’d their blood like rain,
We feel we owe them all we have, And can but weep and kneel again.
CHORUS
Kneel where our loves are sleeping, They lost but still were good and true,
Our fathers, brothers fell still fighting, We weep, ‘tis all that we can do.
VERSE 2:
Here we find our noble dead, Their spirits soar’d to him above,
Rest they now about his throne, For God is mercy, God is love.
Then let us pray that we may live, As pure and good as they have been,
That dying we may ask of him, To open the gate and let us in.
At that time,
John A. Logan, was commander-in-chief of the Grand Army of the Republic, which
was a veterans’ organization. He was so
moved by the southern ladies’ practice of decorating the graves of those who
had fallen in the war that he wrote an order for the Union Army that Decoration
Day be observed nationwide. It was
observed for the first time on May 30, 1868.
That date was chosen because it was not the anniversary date of any
battle. A portion of the order
reads:
General Order No. 11
Headquarters, Grand Army of the Republic Washington, D.C.,
May 5, 1868
Decoration Day
Pamela Blaine
The 30th day of May, 1868, is
designated for the purpose of strewing with flowers or otherwise decorating the
graves of comrades who died in defense of their country… In this observance no
form or ceremony is prescribed, but posts and comrades will in their own way
arrange such fitting services and testimonials of respect as circumstances may
permit…Let us, then, at the time appointed, gather around their sacred remains
and garland the passionless mounds above them with choicest flowers of
springtime; let us raise above them the dear old flag they saved from dishonor;
let us in this solemn presence renew our pledges to aid and assist those whom
they have left among us as sacred charges upon the Nation's gratitude,--the
soldier's and sailor's widow and orphan.
May 30, 1868, was the first official
Northern observance and springtime flowers were placed upon the graves of both Union and Confederate soldiers that
were buried in the new National Cemetery in Arlington, VA.
However, at that time, the South refused to accept the order and instead
honored their war dead on different days.
It wasn’t until after World War I that this began to change because
Memorial Day was set aside for honoring those who had made the ultimate
sacrifice in all American wars and not just the Civil War.
Since Waterloo, N.Y., was a place that was well
known for its longstanding observance of Decoration Day, some of the leaders of
that city formed a committee to gain national recognition. In 1966, the United States did recognize Waterloo, N.Y., as the birthplace of Memorial
Day and was declared so by President Lyndon B. Johnson.
The term, "Memorial Day",
was first used in 1882, but did not become commonly used until after World War
II. It was declared the official name by
federal law in 1967. Later, in 1971,
Memorial Day was declared a national holiday to be held on the last Monday of
May every year instead of the original date of May 30. There are some who believe that changing
Memorial Day from May 30th to the last Monday of May has caused the
day to lose much of it’s significance.
Over the years, many people
began to use Memorial Day as a day to remember all loved ones who have
died. While that is commendable, it is
of utmost importance that we continue to bear in mind the original reason for
Memorial Day and not forget those who gave their “last full measure of
devotion”.
In 1997, Congress established
The National Moment of Remembrance. This
is a time when Americans are asked to pause at 3:00 P.M. on Memorial Day, for one full
minute to remember and honor those who died for our freedom. This is something that everyone can do no
matter where they happen to be. Some
organizations stop whatever they are doing at this time and place their hand
over their heart as Taps is
played.
It is important to remember that
Memorial Day was not declared a holiday so that we can have a long weekend off
from work, go to the lake, or take a vacation.
It was set aside as a day to honor those who gave their lives that we
might live in freedom.
Memorial day this year will be
observed on Monday May 28th.
Take the time to go to a Memorial Day service, fly the American flag,
teach your children and grandchildren the true meaning of Memorial Day, and
don’t forget to remember.
War drew us
from our homeland
In the sunlit
springtime of our youth
Those who did
not come back alive remain
In perpetual springtime
-- forever young
And a part of
them is with us always
(Author unknown)
By
Pamela Perry Blaine
© May 6, 2007
Bio:
Pamela lives in Missouri with her husband,
Michael. She enjoys writing, music, and country living. She
writes "Pam's Corner" for her local newspaper and many
stories have been published on the internet as well as in several books such as The Miracle Of
Sons, 2The Heart/People Who Make A Difference, and A Tribute To
Moms. Her goal is to write to encourage others and also to write
stories for her children and grandchildren so that stories and family
history will be preserved.
Pam and Mike
have made a CD of several songs she has written called, "I'll Walk You
Home". It is available by freewill donation. More
information as well as a clip from the CD is on the website at: http://www.blaines.us/PamyPlace.htm
e-mail: pamyblaine@blaines.us
Decoration Day
By
Pamela Perry Blaine
There are some
important dates and events on our calendars that we should constantly
appreciate and remember. One of these
dates is Decoration Day or what is now known as Memorial Day. This is how I remember it:
It was early
morning and Mama had a box filled with flowers she had just gathered from our
back yard. She had placed them in coffee
cans and tall juice cans that she had covered with aluminum foil. I was too young to know very much about
flowers but I did recognize the irises and peonies or “pineys” as Grandma
called them.
Daddy had already
mounted the American Flag on the pole that extended from the side of the house
and he was loading the huge box full of flowers into the trunk of the car. I noticed the flag unfurling in the soft breeze
as we all got into the car and drove down the lane to get Grandma. If she was well enough, she always went with
us every year on this important outing.
I sat in the front seat of the car, in the middle, between Daddy and my
brother. Mama sat in the back beside
Grandma and off down the road we went because it was Decoration Day and the day
our whole family went to the cemeteries.
The first stop was Linville Cemetery, a beautiful place with huge old oak trees with branches that
seemed to protect the inhabitants of the cemetery with their wide boughs. We had relatives buried at Linville and we
all got out of the car and walked the short distance to gravesites. Everyone was quieter and Mama reminded us to
be respectful because we were to honor the final resting places of those buried
in the cemetery. Mama placed some of the
flowers on the graves and she and Daddy spoke about some of the relatives and
told us children a little about each one.
There were many
small American flags at gravesites across the cemetery. Daddy and Mama talked about how those flags
were placed there by veteran organizations to honor the soldiers who had served
our country, many of them giving their lives to keep our country free.
Next, we drove what
seemed to me to be a very long way. It
was where Daddy’s relatives, including his parents and grandparents, had been
buried. As we got out of the car, I
looked up to see the familiar little white church with the name, Eucebia,
written high up near the gabled roof.
Eucebia was a very old church and even had a small concrete porch-like
block where buggies used to unload passengers at the front of the
building. Church services were no longer
held at Eucebia but I was allowed to go inside and look around. Churches were never locked back then because
people had respect for the things of God whether they attended church or not.
As I stood in the
doorway and looked up past the pews to the pulpit, I remember feeling a sense
of being drawn inside. I could almost
hear voices from the past singing, ”Rock Of Ages” to the accompaniment of the
old pump organ that still stood in the corner.
Behind the church
was the cemetery. It had been recently
mowed and once again I could see those small American flags waving in the
breeze over several of the graves in the cemetery. I had been to Eucebia many times because
Daddy occasionally made a trip to “see about the graves” and I would ride
along. He made sure to come in April or
early May to be certain that the grave plots were looking good for Decoration
Day when many people visited the cemeteries.
Again, Mama placed
flowers on all the graves of our relatives while Daddy showed me his brother
Arthur’s grave. He had died when he was
just one year old in an accident. Daddy didn’t
remember him because he was one of the oldest of ten children and Daddy was the
youngest child. Yet, he always paused a moment in front of Arthur’s grave to
pay his respects and place a flower there for the brother he never got to know
in this life.
Occasionally we
made stops in other cemeteries where a friend or relative was buried but
Linville and Eucebia were the main places we visited.
We also attended
the Memorial Day service that was held every year at the county
courthouse. The American Flag seemed to
be everywhere on that day. Many homes
displayed the flag and the courthouse yard was encircled with them. There was usually a special speaker,
readings, salutes, and then with heads bowed a bugler would playTaps
that was echoed in the distance by another bugler.
Daddy never missed
a Memorial Day service because he was a veteran of WWII and it was important to
him to give honor to those who had given their lives for our country. He was a member of the American Legion and
the VFW and later in life he became a veterans service officer, a job that he
held dear until the day the bugle sounded at his own gravesite.
It is important for us to teach our children and grandchildren the
meaning for the observance of the Memorial Day.
In teaching them these things they will remember and in remembering pass
the teachings on to their own children and grandchildren so they will know the
price that has been paid for their freedom.
It only takes one generation of neglect to erase valuable teachings of
the past.
By
Pamela Perry Blaine
© May 7, 2007
“Most of those who died in defense of our country were boys when they died, and they gave up two lives, the one they were living, and the one they would have lived. They
gave up their chance to be husbands and fathers and grandfathers. They gave up everything for their country. . . for us. All we can do is remember. -Ronald Reagan
Storytime Tapestry Angels
Angels on earth, they exist they are out there. Angels come in all ages, shapes and sizes,
civil status, and religion. Their nature
is love and their purpose is giving to the less fortunate of this world. Storytime Tapestry angels are no exception. These angels are loyal members who have
contributed to the upkeep of Storytime Tapestry newsletter so that Storytime
Tapestry can continue come to your email box 350 days of the year.
Here is our Storytime
Tapestry Angels: Also, I would like to thank those of you who chose to
be a silent angel and gave an anonymous donation to keep Storytime
Tapestry up and running.
Clara Westerfer, Mark Crider,
Rosanne Catalano, Paula Booher, Kay Seefeldt, Mariane Holbrook, Mary Ellen
Grisham, Louise Nomani, Sharon Bryant, Angela Walker, Hart and Helen Dowd,
Keith Ready, Ginger Morgenstern, Ellie Braun-Haley, Surinder Jandu, Bob Shaw,
Carol Meeks
|
