Welcome to F.Y.I. Friday!!!! Here we'd like to take this opportunity to briefly detour from our normal informative posts about title insurance and focus on everyday topics! With this feature, we will try to highlight news or tidbits about what's going on in the world!
When I was a younger, Memorial Day was just another way of saying 'No School!' The reason why was never very important, just the fact that I had another day to avoid homework and class.
Even now, you will find yourself confronted with the same dilemma. In one way, you are grateful that you have a day off from the stress of work. A day you can use to relax, take a trip, have a get together or explore the stores to find the latest deal, but it is always necessary to take a moment and reflect on the true importance of this day.
The specific details about Memorial Day are uncertain, but the ending result is the same. Originating some time after the Civil War, Memorial Day (originally called Decoration Day), was created as one of many methods that would attempt to heal the pain of a divided nation. It became an event to unify a country that was uncertain about it's future. It wasn't about what side you fought for, and it wasn't about what position you stood behind. This was about morning all the lives that were lost regardless of which side they fought for.
In high school, I was asked to participate in a Memorial Day service. I mainly did it because a dear and important friend requested I help. Her husband, who passed away years earlier, was a Veteran and she helped organize this service in his honor. One part of me cursed the fact that I had to get up early on my day off, but the other part of me saw the necessity of it. How could we not have a day to remember those who have fought and died for our country?
My friend has since passed away, but I would like to think she celebrates Memorial Day still. So I take that day to remember her, her husband and all the United States service men and women...past and present. It's not a day about political affiliations, nor is it a day about who is right and who is wrong. This is a day about a facet of our nation that serves the simple principles of duty and honor. The least we can do in return is appreciate the freedom their sacrifices award us, honor their memory and express our gratitude. Come Monday morning, when you take your first steps outside to see the sun shining, the birds chatting, or smell the freshly cut grass remember the people that worked together to insure you have the freedom to do such things.
Memorial Day may have started as a way to unite a divided country, but it has since become a day to honor our real life superheroes. The people that lay down their lives for millions of strangers that they will never meet. These are the true heroes of our nation and the most breath taking fact about Memorial Day is that true heroes never die. They live on in the hearts and minds of those who remember them.
Have a safe and happy Memorial Day,
Lisa Jo Engelke
Abstracts & Titles, Inc.
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