Friday, May 27, 2011

Memorial Day

Wanted to share this with the Memorial Day Holiday coming up.  Please take a moment to think about those who sacrificed all to allow us the freedoms we enjoy today.  Is this country perfect?  No. But if we don't fight for her she certainly will never be.  Say a prayer and give thanks for those you made it possible to do so.

Happy Memorial Day

Memorial 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". 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.


General John A. Logan
Library of Congress, Prints & Photographs Division, [LC-B8172- 6403 DLC (b&w film neg.)]
Memorial Day was officially proclaimed on 5 May 1868 by General John Logan, national commander of the Grand Army of the Republic, in his General Order No. 11, and was first observed on 30 May 1868, when flowers were placed on the graves of Union and Confederate soldiers at Arlington National Cemetery. The first state to officially recognize the holiday was New York in 1873. By 1890 it was recognized by all of the northern states. The South refused to acknowledge the day, honoring their dead on separate days until after World War I (when the holiday changed from honoring just those who died fighting in the Civil War to honoring Americans who died fighting in any war). It is now celebrated in almost every State on the last Monday in May (passed by Congress with the National Holiday Act of 1971 (P.L. 90 - 363) to ensure a three day weekend for Federal holidays), though several southern states have an additional separate day for honoring the Confederate war dead: January 19 in Texas, April 26 in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, and Mississippi; May 10 in South Carolina; and June 3 (Jefferson Davis' birthday) in Louisiana and Tennessee.
Traditional observance of Memorial day has diminished over the years. Many Americans nowadays have forgotten the meaning and traditions of Memorial Day. At many cemeteries, the graves of the fallen are increasingly ignored, neglected. Most people no longer remember the proper flag etiquette for the day. While there are towns and cities that still hold Memorial Day parades, many have not held a parade in decades. Some people think the day is for honoring any and all dead, and not just those fallen in service to our country.
 
To help re-educate and remind Americans of the true meaning of Memorial Day, the "National Moment of Remembrance" resolution was passed on Dec 2000 which asks that at 3 p.m. local time, for all Americans "To voluntarily and informally observe in their own way a Moment of remembrance and respect, pausing from whatever they are doing for a moment of silence or listening to 'Taps."
 
The Moment of Remembrance is a step in the right direction to returning the meaning back to the day. What is needed is a full return to the original day of observance. Set aside one day out of the year for the nation to get together to remember, reflect and honor those who have given their all in service to their country.
But what may be needed to return the solemn, and even sacred, spirit back to Memorial Day is for a return to its traditional day of observance. Many feel that when Congress made the day into a three-day weekend in with the National Holiday Act of 1971, it made it all the easier for people to be distracted from the spirit and meaning of the day. As the VFW stated in its 2002 Memorial Day address: "Changing the date merely to create three-day weekends has undermined the very meaning of the day. No doubt, this has contributed greatly to the general public's nonchalant observance of Memorial Day."
 
(website this came from http://www.usmemorialday.org/backgrnd.html)

Sunday, May 22, 2011

The Musical Chicago

Loved this scene from the movie Chicago.  Of course the Ventriloquist theme is the main reason but over all it's just fun.  had the opportunity to go see the musical on may 19th at the Fox Theater in Detroit and it was great.  Be sure to check it out if it comes to your town, well worth it.

What next?

So I was working in the field last wednesday and was behind this truck at a light.  Talk about multi tasking everything.  I didn't get to see what the side fo the truck said but it was a work van so i am guessing his job wasn't to just drive around looking for potential clients looking for a divorce lawyer.  I guess it struck me funny and sad at the same time.

I am NOT promoting the site I just thought is was something else the lengths some will go to.  Like sites prmoting cheating..I guess they go hand in hand eh?  The cheating web sites and the divorce ads. heh.


Hope everyone is having a great weekend!

=)

Thursday, May 5, 2011

True Friends

Lesson of the day


sometimes, we try too hard to get to the greener grass.

And in the process, we can end up in trouble.




And when you find yourself in trouble...


And you're stuck in a situation that you can't get out of...


There is one thing you should always remember……

...........


Not everyone who shows up


is there to help you