{"id":995,"date":"2012-05-28T22:20:41","date_gmt":"2012-05-28T22:20:41","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.beliefnet.com\/areasontosmile\/?p=995"},"modified":"2012-05-28T22:20:41","modified_gmt":"2012-05-28T22:20:41","slug":"the-spiritual-meaning-of-memorial-day","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/areasontosmile\/2012\/05\/the-spiritual-meaning-of-memorial-day.html","title":{"rendered":"The spiritual meaning of Memorial Day"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"\"<\/a>
Thank you all<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Here in the United States, Memorial Day is one of our most sacred holidays.\u00a0 It is a day we set aside to remember the brave men and women who have fought and died to defend us and our freedom.<\/p>\n

The origin of Memorial Day<\/a>, however, is more complicated:
\n\u2018Memorial Day, originally called Decoration Day, is a day of remembrance for those who have died in our nation’s service. There are many stories as to its actual beginnings, with over two dozen cities and towns laying claim to being the birthplace of Memorial Day. There is also evidence that organized women’s groups in the South were decorating graves before the end of the Civil War: a hymn published in 1867, “Kneel Where Our Loves are Sleeping” by Nella L. Sweet carried the dedication “To The Ladies of the South who are Decorating the Graves of the Confederate Dead” (Source: Duke University’s Historic American Sheet Music, 1850-1920). While Waterloo N.Y. was officially declared the birthplace of Memorial Day by President Lyndon Johnson in May 1966, it’s difficult to prove conclusively the origins of the day. It is more likely that it had many separate beginnings; each of those towns and every planned or spontaneous gathering of people to honor the war dead in the 1860’s tapped into the general human need to honor our dead, each contributed honorably to the growing movement that culminated in Gen Logan giving his official proclamation in 1868. It is not important who was the very first, what is important is that Memorial Day was established. Memorial Day is not about division. It is about reconciliation; it is about coming together to honor those who gave their all.\u2019<\/p>\n

It is impossible to express our gratitude to the soldiers, and families of those soldiers, who are still with us and those who have made the ultimate sacrifice.\u00a0 \u00a0So in the midst of all of the barbecues and celebrations, please take a moment of silence for those who have gone before us, and made this day possible.<\/p>\n

In the meantime, please enjoy this selection of\u00a0Memorial Day Quotes<\/a>:<\/p>\n

There is nothing wrong with America that cannot be cured with what is right in America.
\n-Bill Clinton<\/p>\n

And so, my fellow Americans, ask not what your country can do for you;
\nask what you can do for your country.
\n-John F. Kennedy<\/p>\n

They hover as a cloud of witnesses above this Nation.
\n-Henry Ward Beecher<\/p>\n

Who kept the faith and fought the fight;
\nThe glory theirs, the duty ours.
\n-Wallace Bruce<\/p>\n

A hero is someone who has given his or her life to something bigger than oneself.
\n-Joseph Campbell<\/p>\n

The patriot’s blood is the seed of Freedom’s tree.
\n-Thomas Campbell<\/p>\n

The legacy of heroes is the memory of a great name and the inheritance of a great example.
\n– Benjamin Disraeli<\/p>\n

For love of country they accepted death…
\n-James A. Garfield<\/p>\n

The greatest glory of a free-born people is to transmit that freedom to their children.
\n-William Havard<\/p>\n

The dead soldier’s silence sings our national anthem.
\n-Aaron Kilbourn<\/p>\n

For death is no more than a turning of us over from time to eternity.
\n-William Penn<\/p>\n

On thy grave the rain shall fall from the eyes of a mighty nation!
\n-Thomas William Parsons<\/p>\n

The brave die never, though they sleep in dust:
\nTheir courage nerves a thousand living men.
\n-Minot J. Savage<\/p>\n

We come, not to mourn our dead soldiers, but to praise them.
\n-Francis A. Walker<\/p>\n

And I’m proud to be an American,
\nWhere at least I know I’m free.
\nAnd I won’t forget the men who died,
\nWho gave that right to me.
\n-Lee Greenwood<\/p>\n

You are great, and I love you!
\nAnd if you love me back, click ‘share’ up at the top!<\/p>\n

B. Dave Walters
\nWriter, Life Coach, and Talk Radio Host<\/p>\n

Find out more about me:
\nhttp:\/\/about.me\/BDaveWalter<\/a>s<\/p>\n

Ask me anything:
\nhttp:\/\/formspring.me\/BDaveWalters<\/a><\/p>\n

Pages I support:
\nJesus and Buddha<\/a>\u00a0— Interfaith dialog<\/p>\n

Gnostic Theism<\/a>\u00a0— Religion and Spirituality for the 21st Century (Join the Movement!)<\/p>\n

Love One Another<\/a>\u00a0— A group for the coolest Spiritual people on the Internet!<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>\"\"<\/a>\"\"<\/a>\"\"<\/a>\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Here in the United States, Memorial Day is one of our most sacred holidays.\u00a0 It is a day we set aside to remember the brave men and women who have fought and died to defend us and our freedom. The origin of Memorial Day, however, is more complicated: \u2018Memorial Day, originally called Decoration Day, is…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":450,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[85,55,80,93,60,38,92,28,41,48,30],"tags":[3,34,13,12,11,109,36,14,22,26,25,42,50],"class_list":["post-995","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-85","category-emotions-2","category-family","category-gratitude","category-holidays","category-hope-inspiration","category-loss","category-peace","category-positive-thinking","category-spirituality","category-the-past","tag-b-dave-walters","tag-breakthroughs","tag-change","tag-emotions","tag-gnostic-theism","tag-god","tag-hope","tag-life-coach","tag-los-angeles","tag-peacelovemoney-com","tag-psychology","tag-self-talk","tag-spiritual-but-not-religious"],"yoast_head":"\nThe spiritual meaning of Memorial Day - A Reason to Smile<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/areasontosmile\/2012\/05\/the-spiritual-meaning-of-memorial-day.html\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"The spiritual meaning of Memorial Day - A Reason to Smile\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Here in the United States, Memorial Day is one of our most sacred holidays.\u00a0 It is a day we set aside to remember the brave men and women who have fought and died to defend us and our freedom. 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