Speaking notes
Today is Memorial Day in the US.
National holiday – start of summer. First long weekend w/ warm weather.
Most of my life I haven’t thought about why we celebrate.
As a kid, we occasionally went to put flowers on graves.
But these last few years I’ve been trying to look at our national holidays and at least spend a few minutes thinking about the reasons they were created.
This Monday Morning Mindset I want to talk about Memorial Day.
Memorial Day was originally called Decoration Day. It’s a day of remembrance for those who have died serving in the US military.
Memorial Day was borne out of the Civil War (which ended in 1865) and a desire to honor our dead. On the 5th of May in 1868, General John Logan who was the national commander of the Grand Army of the republic, officially proclaimed it in his General Order No. 11.
“The 30th of May, 1868, is designated for the purpose of strewing with flowers, or otherwise decorating the graves of comrades who died in defense of their country during the late rebellion, and whose bodies now lie in almost every city, village and hamlet churchyard in the land.”
On the first Decoration Day, 5,000 participants decorated the graves of 20,000 Union and Confederate soldiers buried at Arlington Cemetery.
Long history from that first Decoration Day to today.
But I noticed something about this first one that is significant.
They decorated the graves of both Union and Confederate soldiers.
The Civil War often had members of the same family fighting on different sides.
General Logan set up Decoration Day to remember the sacrifices on both sides as a way to help the nation heal and move forward.
So take a moment today to remember the men and women who gave their lives in service to this country.
And I think it’s important to not only remember the past but look to the future as well.
It’s important to remember the sacrifices and struggles of the past: as a nation and for yourself as a person.
But also look ahead to create a better future.
I talk about personal growth . . . epic life.
The reason I want to be my best–help you be your best–is to make the best future for all of us.
Remember the past. Think about the struggle and sacrifice that got us to this point. Look to the future.
We should not be defined by our past, but by our future.
And the future is determined by who you decide to be.
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