If you'll allow me, I'm going to venture away from my normal fare of talking about Southern Gospel music on Danny's Diary for this week's entry.
Unless you've been living under a rock, you know that this upcoming weekend celebrates Memorial Day and for most people, that represents the first of several spring-summer getaways. But Memorial Day is much more than baseball games and cookouts.
According to various informative Internet sites, Memorial Day was officially proclaimed on May 5, 1868, by General John Logan, the national commander of the Grand Army of the Republic, and was first observed on May 30, 1868, when flowers were placed on the graves of both Union and Confederate Soldiers at Arlington National Cemetery. Originally known as "Decoration Day," the day was created as a way of remembering and honoring the men and women who died while serving in the military. At first, it honored just casualties of the Civil War, but after World War I, it was expanded to include any war or military action.
With that said, let me just say that despite whatever side of the political fence you may be standing on—and despite the problems that do exist—we are blessed to live in a country like none other. No matter how you slice it, there is no country like the good ole' U.S.A.
We're able to freely worship, we're able to go about our business with little or no fear of someone standing in our way and, when compared to other countries of our world, our violence level is very, very low. We have the abilities to elect our own leaders, attend the schools of our choice, develop careers without being told by a government authority that "you will be a ditch digger...you will be a truck driver...you will be a doctor..." Our standard of living is constantly at the top of the scales and you get right down to it, we're stood in the showers of God's blessings so long that we should all be wrinkled.
We live in a day in time when you can walk into almost any teenager's bedroom and find a poster of a music star, a football player, a NASCAR driver or so forth. And, in reality, I guess there's really nothing wrong with that. But if you really want to see a genuine real life American hero, just look at the men and women who honorably serve this country. Behind their uniforms, you'll find commitment, dedication, loyalty, and not a shred of selfishness.
And, when you're out and about this Memorial Day weekend and you see American flags, gently blowing in the breeze above the graves of those who have served and now have gone on to their eternal reward, just remember they helped to give you a reason to celebrate.