Memorial Day

Memorial Day...does anyone know why this holiday is celebrated?

It is a day to celebrate the men and women who gave their lives in the service of the U.S. military.

I have been told that it began after the Civil War. I don't know if that was true or not, but I do know that in many families there has been a long tradition of honoring the final resting place of these brave people.

I have been told by one of my Pearce relatives, that it used to be tradition for their families members to get together and head to the Pearce cemetery.  My maternal grandfather was not in the military, and my mother had not been a part of these outings.  However, one of her cousins told me that they would do this to help maintain these small cemeteries, as many of them did not have a regular groundskeeper in those days.

They would take care of the area surrounding each gravestone, and leave flowers near the stone.  Flags would be placed near the veterans' gravestones.

If the whole family came together on one day, it was much easier to maintain the whole cemetery. As the children helped, the tradition was passed on to the next generation.

I am afraid to say that I live quite a ways from this small family cemetery. Although I have been there a couple of times, I have not visited near Memorial Day.  I am not sure if anyone is still maintaining this tradition in the Pearce family at this time.

However, I would like to know if any of you have any stories of the family spending the day at the cemetery, honoring our fallen. Have you been a part of this tradition yourself?

Tell me about your Memorial Day stories and memories. How has your family honored our fallen heroes?