For more than a century the United States has publicly recognized members of the United States Armed Forces who gave their lives in service to their country. This public recognition, which began in the mid 1800s, eventually morphed into the modern day holiday that we now know as “Memorial Day”.
Memorial Day was first celebrated at the Arlington National Cemetery on May 30, 1868, however, at that time it was called “Decoration Day”. It wasn’t until after World War II, that people began referring to “Decoration Day” as, “Memorial Day”. The federal government also officially adopted Memorial Day as the new official holiday name in 1967.
Memorialization is the process of preserving and/or honoring the memory of a person, a thing or an event which can be done through methods such as: documentaries, artwork, music or through oral history.
Although Memorial Day serves as a time to reflect on the ultimate sacrifices of others who died during military service, Memorial Day can also be a wonderful way to also reflect our own personal deeds and acts of services that can also perhaps lead to memorialization in ways that could profoundly benefit the lives of others.
On Morning Energy, we are going to spend time exploring the value of memorialization as it relates to so many different areas of our lives.
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