Rev. Don Campbell

102 THINGS TO DO THIS MEMORIAL DAY WEEKEND

When I was a boy, it was called Decoration Day, or just “the 30th of May,” a day when families honored their dead and people wore paper poppies in their lapels or their hair. It was not until I was much older that I realized it was about honoring those who gave their last full measure of devotion while serving in the armed forces of our country. The name has been changed to Memorial Day, and the date set by the federal government to fall on the last Monday in May.

I gave this past week and received my poppy, but it occurred to me that I had no idea how the practice began or what it meant. A quick internet search revealed that the practice was born when Moina Michaels, after reading the poem In Flanders Fields, wrote her own poem in 1915, began making, wearing, and selling poppies to others, with the proceeds going to benefit servicemen in need.

“We cherish too, the Poppy red
That grows on fields where valor led,
It seems to signal to the skies
That blood of heroes never dies.

As I ponder this, I realize how the sacrifices of others and the memorials to them often become lost to succeeding generations, displaced by sporting events, family reunions, and just long, lazy three-day holidays.

What is more distressing is how the day some still call “the Lord’s Day” has become Sunday, a day to sleep in, go fishing, or [fill in the blank]. In the article 102 Things to Do on a Money-Free Weekend, “attend a religious service” came in number 63, just ahead of “start a workout routine.”

Paul told the Corinthians that many of them were weak and sickly, and some were even spiritually dead because they failed to properly remember Christ, whom they professed to honor in the Lord’s Supper (1 Cor 11:27-30).

Whatever else you do today, don’t forget him who loved you and gave himself for you. Whatever you do tomorrow, don’t forget those who gave their last full measure of devotion.