On May 30, 1868, General John Logan of the Grand Army of the Republic made a proclamation to commemorate the sacrifices of Civil War soldiers by decorating their graves with flowers, wreaths, and flags creating the first Decoration Day.  In 1873 New Work became the first state to designate Decoration Day as a holiday. It was not until 1890 that every state adopted Decoration Day as a holiday.  After World War I it became a day to honor those that have died in all of America’s war and was established as holiday throughout the United States.  It was not until 1971” Memorial Day” was established as a national holiday on the last Monday of the month of May.

Commonly Memorial Day weekend is used as the unofficial start of summer.  How quickly do we forget those that have given their lives for our freedom.  As any of the families of the estimated 1.3 million people that have died for our freedom since 1776 if freedom is free.  So please take a minute this weekend and say a prayer of thankfulness for those that paid this price as well as for those that are serving our nation. 
 
After watching friends die in World War I John McCrea penned the following poem to memorialize those that have fallen. 
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.
 

​We like to play the blame game. When dealing with many things in life, especially grief, it is normal to want to place the blame and to look for someone to blame.  To do this we play the BLAME GAME.  We look toward anyone or anything that we can blame for the trial we are facing.    This will only make you bitter and block the healing that is required, especially in grief. The blame game started with Eve when she blamed the serpent for her sin. 
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Instead of placing the blame on others turn your thoughts toward God.  His creation, His words, and His promises are all constants that you can look towards to help.  Remember James 4:10 “Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He will lift you up.” God will always be faithful and will always be there to lift you out of despair. Remember in 1 Corinthians 1:9 “God is faithful, by whom you were called into the fellowship of His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.”