In my humble opinion there are certain historical events that we as Christians and as Americans should never, ever forget.

As Christians we should never forget: 1) The Creation; 2) The Giving of the Law to Moses; 3) The Birth of a Promised Savior; 4) The Life of that Savior, “God With Us,” Emmanuel; 5) The Death of the Savior, the Lamb of God ‘slain from the foundation of the world;’ 6) The Resurrection of Our Savior, God’s Grace Given to Men and Women; 7) The Ascension of the Savior to Heaven, where He sits at the Right Hand of God the Father; 8) The Promise of the Future and Soon Return of Jesus Christ, Our Savior, to Receive His Believers Unto Himself.

One more Historical Event that both Christians and all Americans should never forget is the American National Holiday known as Memorial Day, which we just commemorated this past Monday, May 30, 2022

This special day was first recognized and celebrated near the end of the Civil War. ‘Memorial Day’ was originally started by former slaves on May 1, 1865.

That first ceremony was held in Charleston, South Carolina to honor 257 dead Union Soldiers who had been buried in a mass grave in a Confederate prison camp.

Those former slaves worked tirelessly to dig up those bodies and then they worked for 2 weeks straight to give each soldier a proper burial.

Those grateful people, freed Americans, then held a parade of 10,000 people, led by 2,800 black children who marched through the streets celebrating the sacrifice of those men.

Now, the first “official” National Memorial Day was celebrated a few years later.

The story goes that a group of women asked the War Department for permission to put flowers on the graves of soldiers buried at Arlington Cemetery.

Permission was finally granted to do so, but a stern order was attached to the permission: ‘No flowers were to be placed on the graves of the Confederate soldiers.’

The confederates were buried in a segregated section of the cemetery.

The ladies carried out their task and carefully followed their instructions. Then a crowd gathered for the commemoration at which General Ulysses S. Grant gave a speech.

But shortly after the ceremony concluded, they say a strong gust of wind blew through the cemetery… and the wind blew almost all the flowers into the Confederate section.

After that the separation was never repeated; and many people believed that the wind was the Breath of God.

Memorial Day has since been set aside to honor the dead of all American wars; And within a few years the practice of placing flowers on military graves had spread throughout both the North and the South and was being called “Decoration Day.”

Then after World War I it became a national holiday dedicated to remembering those who made the ultimate sacrifice for the freedoms that we as Americans enjoy.

But it seems as if most of the nation has forgotten WHY Memorial Day was established.

To so many it has become just another Three-Day-Weekend, a day for travel, the beginning of Summer, a time for backyard barbecues, a time to kick back and relax, and for a time to enjoy our freedoms with no thought of who gave their lives to secure those freedoms.

I found the following piece of prose whose writer is unknown to me.

“It is the Veteran, not the preacher, who has given us freedom of religion. It is the Veteran, not the reporter, who has given us freedom of the press. It is the Veteran, not the poet, who has given us the freedom of speech. It is the Veteran, not the campus organizer, who has given us the freedom to assemble. It is the Veteran, not the lawyer, who has given us the right to a fair trial. It is the Veteran, not the politician, who has given us the right to vote. It is the Veteran who salutes the Flag; it is the Veteran who serves under the Flag.”

And in my words, it was a Veteran who served under The U.S. Constitution, and who died serving under the Flag, for our Nation and for our freedoms.

In my humble opinion there are certain historical events that we as Christians and as Americans should never, ever forget.

“Please Dear God, bless America, land that we love. Amen.”

And my friend, please remember that I am praying for you.

May God’s richest blessings be poured out upon you today.