Friday, May 22, 2009

Mabel's Scrapbook: Considering Memorial Day



Welcome PFF visitors!
You
can view my postcard by
scrolling down to Wednesday's
post, or just click here.

Readers who don't have a clue
what this means can visit
Marie Reed's blog to learn all about it!




I looked through Mabel's Scrapbook for something that might seem appropriate for the upcoming Memorial Day, to be commemorated this year on May 25th. Memorial Day was always noted on May 30, from the time General John Logan officially proclaimed the day in 1868 - until 1971 when it was changed under the National Holiday Act of 1971 to the third Monday in May. If you are a purest at heart and would like to know more about the effort to restore the traditional day of observance for Memorial Day, there's a place on the Web for you....including a petition to sign. More info here.

In her scrapbook, Mabel had four advertisements for the W. A. Mount & Co. Confectioners in Kansas City. Two of them are really gory big game hunting paintings, another is a travel painting and this one spoke to me about the essence of Memorial Day....... the waiting, the hoping, the praying. Happy homecomings for many who hoped, weeping and grieving for others who waited and prayed.

I guess I am a purest when it comes to Memorial Day. If we don't set aside a day to memorialize the war dead (and for me that goes beyond the boundaries of country and culture, and negates distinctions between military and civilian deaths) it seems life is cheapened and death trivialized. So I acted on some suggestions provided at that website linked above.

I wish you all a great three-day weekend ......... and some quiet time to think about Memorial Day on May 30th.





THE CROSSING
~ They that love beyond the world can not be separated by it. Death can not kill what never dies.

Nor can spirits ever be divided, that love and live in the same divine principle, the root and record of their friendship . . . Death is but crossing the world, as friends do the seas: they live in one another still . . .

This is the comfort of friends, that though they may be said to die, yet their friendship and society are, in the best sense, ever present because immortal.

~
William Penn


.

20 comments:

Margo said...

what a beautiful PFF post! Memorial Day doesn't get nearly the amount of attention it deserves these days - we're so blessed here, we often take the past for granted - and I thank you for the lovely reminders. I love that you have Mable's scrapbook :) How special! Happy PFF!

viridian said...

Lovely image. thanks for sharing.
viridian

Terry said...

Happy Postcard Friendship Friday .
Well said .Beautiful post.
Thank you for posting the Memorial Day information.Also for sharing from the scrapbook .I love old family scrapbooks.They are so much fun to look through and sometimes a little sad. They are after all filled with life moments.
May you have a truly relaxing weeknd.

Darlene said...

Because my birthday is on the 29th I always liked having Memorial Day on the 30th because my husband would be home and we could go camping over the weekend. Most of my young birthdays were celebrated that way.

My grandparents always decorated the graves on Memorial Day, but not everyone does that anymore. So many are cremated now - there is no grave.

Debby said...

Great post. The cards are lovely.
debby

Lydia said...

@Margo- I'm so glad that you enjoyed this post. (Mable would appreciate your comments too, I bet!) I brought my husband by your blog last evening to read your Trekkie post that I think is so great. He enjoyed it too!

@viridian- You are quite welcome. Thank you for being here!

@Terry- Happy PFF and nearly Happy Memorial Day to you. I agree that the old scrapbooks are fascinating. Mable's is from the late 1800s so I feel honored to take care of it and share it with all of you.

@Darlene- What fun to hear that you are almost a birthday girl and to know how you celebrated your birthdays with you husband. Happy memories I can tell.

@Debby- Thanks much. I'm happy to have you here!

Anonymous said...

Lydia - very nice posting. Our town has continued to celebrate Memorial Day on May 30. That's when we have the small parade that winds through town. . . and the ceremony in front of the veterans monuments. Monday holidays are nice enough but Memorial Day IS May 30.

Batteson.Ind said...

Your posts always bring a deep exhalation to my being, time sort of stands still when I'm round here.. thank you! I've just tagged you over on our page, you can come over and play if you like!-)

Unknown said...

Believe you are quite right--we've taken a day meant to honor our service men and women and have ignored them, turning it into a summer holiday instead. It's like much of the wars post-Vietnam--sanitized.
I'll pop on over to the website you suggested.
Wishing you a peaceful weekend.

Erin Davis said...

Wonderful post, Lydia. I second your notion of remembering all the war dead, soldier and civilian alike...

Rhiannon said...

Acknowledging their spirits is very very important and the supreme sacrifice they made for what they thought was fundamental and true.

I don't like people celebrating about it like a "whoopie" holiday let's go "to the park and party" deal..it should be more of a mellow and yes even sad kind of day..

At least that's my feelings on it.

Thanks for this great post..you did a great job Lydia.

Rhi

Lydia said...

@Koe- That's lovely your town celebrates the real day. It sounds like a wonderful way to commemorate Memorial Day.

@the watercats- What an unbelievably great thing for you to say. I'm so happy you like to be here because your visits mean so much to me. It's taken me all day to get back to my blog and I'll be by yours in a bit.....

@Distracted- I'm wishing you a wonderful weekend too. :)

@Erin- Thanks for being here.
HEY EVERYBODY - Erin has written the most superb poem about summer and it's her latest post...so very worth jumping over there to read!

@Rhi- ". . . it should be more of a mellow and yes even sad kind of day.." Well said. I agree. It just doesn't seem like party time to me.

Unknown said...

Having some trouble accessing you blog...

As for me
Most everyday
Is Memorial Day
And not just in May

Perhaps this is a benefit
Of growing older
While still remembering what it is
To be young

Nancy said...

Very nice. Thank you for the reminder.

Lydia said...

@Citizen of Earth- Sorry you're having trouble accessing my blog. Are you on Internet Explorer, Firefox, or another?
Loved your poem; how could it be said any better than that?

@Lover of Life- Of course, and thank you for stopping by on what may be a busy weekend for you. I wish you a great one.

Beth Niquette said...

GREAT postcards! Happy PFF--a little late, but a greeting heartily given just the same!

I love your blog!

Unknown said...

I have 2 main working PC's & both run Internet Explorer.
The one recently updated to IE8 chokes on your blog(and several others with ads) when it attempts to load the "doubleclick" tracking cookie.

The other PC with IE7 has no problems.

I believe there is a conflict between IE8 and my AVG virus protection (which blocks cookies)
So no probs at your end

Lydia said...

@Beth- Thanks much. My blog loves you. :)

@Citizen of Earth- You are so dear to write back and put my worries at ease. I have AVG also, but use Firefox but this will keep me alert when there are upgrades. Thank you and good luck with all that.

j said...

Lydia -- You make a really interesting point: "If we don't set aside a day to memorialize the war dead (and for me that goes beyond the boundaries of country and culture, and negates distinctions between military and civilian deaths) it seems life is cheapened and death trivialized." Absolutely right! Acknowledging and memorializing the civilians who die in war as well as the soldiers who end their lives on the battlefield (or in other ways that are tied to war, such as suicide) should be a definite focus on this holiday.

Lydia said...

@Jennifer- I'm so glad that you mentioned the suicide issue. Absolutely, it should be a focus on that holiday.

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