Memorial Day was originally known as Decoration Day because it was a time set aside to honor the nation's Civil War dead by decorating their graves. It was first widely observed on May 30, 1868, to commemorate the sacrifices of Civil War soldiers, by proclamation of General John A. Logan of the Grand Army of the Republic, an organization of former sailors and soldiers. On May 5, 1868, Logan declared in General Order No. 11 that:
The 30th of May, 1868, is designated for the purpose of strewing with flowers, or otherwise decorating the graves of comrades who died in defense of their country during the late rebellion, and whose bodies now lie in almost every city, village, and hamlet churchyard in the land. In this observance no form of ceremony is prescribed, but posts and comrades will in their own way arrange such fitting services and testimonials of respect as circumstances may permit.
During the first celebration of Decoration Day, General James Garfield made a speech at Arlington National Cemetery, after which 5,000 participants helped to decorate the graves of the more than 20,000 Union and Confederate soldiers buried in the cemetery.
This 1868 celebration was inspired by local observances of the day in several towns throughout America that had taken place in the three years since the Civil War. In fact, several Northern and Southern cities claim to be the birthplace of Memorial Day, including Columbus, Miss.; Macon, Ga.; Richmond, Va.; Boalsburg, Pa.; and Carbondale, Ill.
In 1966, the federal government, under the direction of President Lyndon Johnson, declared Waterloo, N.Y., the official birthplace of Memorial Day. They chose Waterloo—which had first celebrated the day on May 5, 1866—because the town had made Memorial Day an annual, community-wide event during which businesses closed and residents decorated the graves of soldiers with flowers and flags.
By the late 1800s, many communities across the country had begun to celebrate Memorial Day and, after World War I, observances also began to honor those who had died in all of America's wars. In 1971, Congress declared Memorial Day a national holiday to be celebrated the last Monday in May. (Veterans Day, a day set aside to honor all veterans, living and dead, is celebrated each year on November 11.)
Today, Memorial Day is celebrated at Arlington National Cemetery with a ceremony in which a small American flag is placed on each grave. Also, it is customary for the president or vice-president to give a speech honoring the contributions of the dead and lay a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. About 5,000 people attend the ceremony annually.
Several Southern states continue to set aside a special day for honoring the Confederate dead, which is usually called Confederate Memorial Day.
Saturday, May 23, 2009
Oh My, The Weeping and Wailing & Gnashing of Teeth
So....at least 2 of you will miss me. Donna says that AOL won't let her become a "Follower", and I say to her, Donna, just give me a comment once in awhile. How does one do that? Let me show you. Scroll down below the post to where it says, 0 comments. Click on that and make your comment. You can make it as (your name) as Giants Princess did, or even choose Anonymous. I will comment on my own post.
Tuesday, May 19, 2009
Last Post ?
This may be my last post, at least for awhile. It is increasingly difficult to develop material which readers might find interesting. I live a very mundane life, actually, and is it weren't for my spiritual life, it would be pretty boring.The number of daily "hits" on this site have continually gone down and there have been only a couple of comments left. So, I may come back from time to time if something REALLY interesting and significant occurs in my life.
In the meanwhile, I leave you with this:
Clay Balls
A man was exploring caves by the Seashore. In one of the caves he found a canvas bag with a bunch of hardened clay balls. It was like someone had rolled clay balls and left them out in the sun to bake. They didn't look like much, but they intrigued the man, so he took the bag out of the cave with him. As he strolled along the beach, he would throw the clay balls one at a time out into the ocean as far as he could.
He thought little about it, until he dropped one of the clay balls and it cracked open on a rock . Inside was a beautiful, precious stone!
Excited, the man started breaking open the remaining clay balls. Each contained a similar treasure. He found thousands of dollars worth of jewels in the 20 or so clay balls he had left.
Then it struck him. He had been on the beach a long time. He had thrown maybe 50 or 60 of the clay balls with their hidden treasure into the ocean waves. Instead of thousands of dollars in treasure, he could have taken home tens of thousands, but he had just thrown it away!
It's like that with people. We look at someone, maybe even ourselves, and we see the external clay vessel.. It doesn't look like much from the outside. It isn't always beautiful or sparkling, so we discount it.
We see that person as less important than someone more beautiful or stylish or well known or wealthy. But we have not taken the time to find the treasure hidden inside that person.
There is a treasure in each and every one of us. If we take the time to get to know that person, and if we ask God to show us that person the way He sees them, then the clay begins to peel away and the brilliant gem begins to shine forth.
May we not come to the end of our lives and find out that we have thrown away a fortune in friendships because the gems were hidden in bits of clay. May we see the people in our world as God sees them. .
In the meanwhile, I leave you with this:
Clay Balls
A man was exploring caves by the Seashore. In one of the caves he found a canvas bag with a bunch of hardened clay balls. It was like someone had rolled clay balls and left them out in the sun to bake. They didn't look like much, but they intrigued the man, so he took the bag out of the cave with him. As he strolled along the beach, he would throw the clay balls one at a time out into the ocean as far as he could.
He thought little about it, until he dropped one of the clay balls and it cracked open on a rock . Inside was a beautiful, precious stone!
Excited, the man started breaking open the remaining clay balls. Each contained a similar treasure. He found thousands of dollars worth of jewels in the 20 or so clay balls he had left.
Then it struck him. He had been on the beach a long time. He had thrown maybe 50 or 60 of the clay balls with their hidden treasure into the ocean waves. Instead of thousands of dollars in treasure, he could have taken home tens of thousands, but he had just thrown it away!
It's like that with people. We look at someone, maybe even ourselves, and we see the external clay vessel.. It doesn't look like much from the outside. It isn't always beautiful or sparkling, so we discount it.
We see that person as less important than someone more beautiful or stylish or well known or wealthy. But we have not taken the time to find the treasure hidden inside that person.
There is a treasure in each and every one of us. If we take the time to get to know that person, and if we ask God to show us that person the way He sees them, then the clay begins to peel away and the brilliant gem begins to shine forth.
May we not come to the end of our lives and find out that we have thrown away a fortune in friendships because the gems were hidden in bits of clay. May we see the people in our world as God sees them. .
Thursday, May 14, 2009
EXPLAIN GOD
I don't know if Danny really wrote this but in a 12 year old's mind, this is how he explains God.
Explain God
It was written by an 8 year old, Danny Dutton of Chula Vista, CA, for his third grade homework assignment. The assignment was to explain God. Wonder if any of us could do as well?
One of God's main jobs is making people. He makes them to replace the ones that die, so there will be enough people to take care of things on earth.He doesn't make grown-ups, just babies. I think because they are smaller and easier to make. That way He doesn't have to take up His valuable time teaching them to talk and walk. He can just leave that to mothers and fathers.God's second most important job is listening to prayers. An awful lot of this goes on, since some people, like preachers and things, pray at times beside bedtime. God doesn't have time to listen to the radio or TV because of this. Because He hears everything, there must be a terrible lot of noise in His ears, unless He has thought of a way to turn it off.God sees everything and hears everything and is everywhere which keeps Him pretty busy. So you shouldn't go wasting His time by going over your Mom and Dad's head asking for something they said you couldn't have.Atheists are people who don't believe in God. I don't think there are any in Chula Vista. At least there aren't any who come to our church.Jesus is God's Son. He used to do all the hard work like walking on water and performing miracles and trying to teach the people who didn't want to learn about God. They finally got tired of Him preaching to them and they crucified Him. But He was good and kind, like His Father and He told His Father that they didn't know what they were doing and to forgive them and God said O.K.His Dad (God) appreciated everything that He had done and all His hard work on earth so He told Him He didn't have to go out on the road anymore. He could stay in heaven. So He did. And now He helps His Dad out by listening to prayers and seeing things which are important for God to take care of and which ones He can take care of Himself without having to bother God. Like a secretary, only more important.You can pray anytime you want and they are sure to help you because they've got it worked out so that one of them is on duty all the time.You should always go to church on Sunday because it makes God happy, and if there's anybody you want to make happy, it's God. Don't skip church to do something you think will be more fun like going to the beach. This is wrong. And besides the sun doesn't come out at the beach until noon anyway.If you don't believe in God, besides being an atheist, you will be very lonely, because your parents can't go everywhere with you, like to camp, but God can. It is good to know He's around you when you're scared in the dark or when you can't swim and you get thrown into real deep water by big kids.But...you shouldn't just always think of what God can do for you. I figure God put me here and He can take me back anytime He pleases.
And...that's why I believe in God.
Explain God
It was written by an 8 year old, Danny Dutton of Chula Vista, CA, for his third grade homework assignment. The assignment was to explain God. Wonder if any of us could do as well?
One of God's main jobs is making people. He makes them to replace the ones that die, so there will be enough people to take care of things on earth.He doesn't make grown-ups, just babies. I think because they are smaller and easier to make. That way He doesn't have to take up His valuable time teaching them to talk and walk. He can just leave that to mothers and fathers.God's second most important job is listening to prayers. An awful lot of this goes on, since some people, like preachers and things, pray at times beside bedtime. God doesn't have time to listen to the radio or TV because of this. Because He hears everything, there must be a terrible lot of noise in His ears, unless He has thought of a way to turn it off.God sees everything and hears everything and is everywhere which keeps Him pretty busy. So you shouldn't go wasting His time by going over your Mom and Dad's head asking for something they said you couldn't have.Atheists are people who don't believe in God. I don't think there are any in Chula Vista. At least there aren't any who come to our church.Jesus is God's Son. He used to do all the hard work like walking on water and performing miracles and trying to teach the people who didn't want to learn about God. They finally got tired of Him preaching to them and they crucified Him. But He was good and kind, like His Father and He told His Father that they didn't know what they were doing and to forgive them and God said O.K.His Dad (God) appreciated everything that He had done and all His hard work on earth so He told Him He didn't have to go out on the road anymore. He could stay in heaven. So He did. And now He helps His Dad out by listening to prayers and seeing things which are important for God to take care of and which ones He can take care of Himself without having to bother God. Like a secretary, only more important.You can pray anytime you want and they are sure to help you because they've got it worked out so that one of them is on duty all the time.You should always go to church on Sunday because it makes God happy, and if there's anybody you want to make happy, it's God. Don't skip church to do something you think will be more fun like going to the beach. This is wrong. And besides the sun doesn't come out at the beach until noon anyway.If you don't believe in God, besides being an atheist, you will be very lonely, because your parents can't go everywhere with you, like to camp, but God can. It is good to know He's around you when you're scared in the dark or when you can't swim and you get thrown into real deep water by big kids.But...you shouldn't just always think of what God can do for you. I figure God put me here and He can take me back anytime He pleases.
And...that's why I believe in God.
Sunday, May 10, 2009
Happy Mother's Day 2009
I wish everyone a very blessed day where we honor and celebrate our mothers whether they are still with us or not.
My mother has been deceased for more than 40 years, but I can see her face and and hear her voice as if she was here alongside me. The voice could speak some pretty harsh words to me, but only when I deserved it. My sister, the eldest of 3, was a kind of second mother to me because of our age difference (13 years) and because of my mother's poor health starting in her middle age. My mother was 43 when I was born but I developed without any physical handicaps which are fairly common when the mother is over 40. Many of my friends think I have some mental challenges, but what do they know?
My brother, 6 years older than me, was pretty much my mom's favorite as she anticipated that he would follow in our father's footsteps in church ministry. He did, if fact,, become a pastor when he was about 25.
Both my sister and brother were little angels, while I was a devil from as long as I can remember. Thankfully, I did finally adopt behavior and character more appropriate for my upbringing. But that's what moms are for, right.
Anyway, Mom, I love you and I'm sorry for all the grief I gave you while growing up.
Blessings, Desert Dave
CHRISTIAN THOUGHT FOR THE DAY(Courtesy of Our Daily Bread)Godly mothers not only bring you up, they bring you to God.
My mother has been deceased for more than 40 years, but I can see her face and and hear her voice as if she was here alongside me. The voice could speak some pretty harsh words to me, but only when I deserved it. My sister, the eldest of 3, was a kind of second mother to me because of our age difference (13 years) and because of my mother's poor health starting in her middle age. My mother was 43 when I was born but I developed without any physical handicaps which are fairly common when the mother is over 40. Many of my friends think I have some mental challenges, but what do they know?
My brother, 6 years older than me, was pretty much my mom's favorite as she anticipated that he would follow in our father's footsteps in church ministry. He did, if fact,, become a pastor when he was about 25.
Both my sister and brother were little angels, while I was a devil from as long as I can remember. Thankfully, I did finally adopt behavior and character more appropriate for my upbringing. But that's what moms are for, right.
Anyway, Mom, I love you and I'm sorry for all the grief I gave you while growing up.
Blessings, Desert Dave
CHRISTIAN THOUGHT FOR THE DAY(Courtesy of Our Daily Bread)Godly mothers not only bring you up, they bring you to God.
Saturday, May 9, 2009
I Promise Not To Heckle My Dodger Friends
Well, maybe a little. After all, I put up with years of some pretty bad heckling about Barry Bonds. Dodger fans still like to make the comparison that Bonds was a terrible person even without the ALLEGED steroid useage and of course Manny is this great person who simply just made an mistake. Tell that to the Red Sox.
The fact is that Bonds was the face of the Giants franchise for 15 years, and arguably the best pure hitter ever in Major League Baseball. We had reason to not throw him under the bus because of all he did for the team. Manny, on the other hand has been a Dodger for less than a full season, and held a gun to the owners heads before he would sign for 2009. But the Dodger fans I hear can't wait to get him back.
There's a great deal of hypocrisy when it comes to who we like and who we don't like. I'm as guilty as the next person and I'll admit it. On one occasion at a social event, I was harshly taken to task for even suggesting that Eric Gagne had "juiced". When the news came out awhile back about him and Lo Duca, I could have gone to this individual and been really nasty to him. I didn't. Why not?
And so comes the reason for this posting. If I am to live for Christ, I must live my life in the same fashion as did He. Would it please Him if I went to this individual and reminded him of his prior actions toward me? And what real purpose would it serve. Would it make me feel good to embarass him? You bet it would. Would it be right to do so? I don''t think so, and so I don't do it.
As a lifelong Giants fan, I "hate" the Dodgers, as I'm sure they "hate" the Giants. When I see or hear Giants fans acting badly toward Dodger fans, I dislike it as much as I do the other way around.
Blessings, Desert Dave
CHRISTIAN THOUGHT FOR THE DAY(Courtesy of Our Daily Bread)God is the master of turning burdens into blessings.
The fact is that Bonds was the face of the Giants franchise for 15 years, and arguably the best pure hitter ever in Major League Baseball. We had reason to not throw him under the bus because of all he did for the team. Manny, on the other hand has been a Dodger for less than a full season, and held a gun to the owners heads before he would sign for 2009. But the Dodger fans I hear can't wait to get him back.
There's a great deal of hypocrisy when it comes to who we like and who we don't like. I'm as guilty as the next person and I'll admit it. On one occasion at a social event, I was harshly taken to task for even suggesting that Eric Gagne had "juiced". When the news came out awhile back about him and Lo Duca, I could have gone to this individual and been really nasty to him. I didn't. Why not?
And so comes the reason for this posting. If I am to live for Christ, I must live my life in the same fashion as did He. Would it please Him if I went to this individual and reminded him of his prior actions toward me? And what real purpose would it serve. Would it make me feel good to embarass him? You bet it would. Would it be right to do so? I don''t think so, and so I don't do it.
As a lifelong Giants fan, I "hate" the Dodgers, as I'm sure they "hate" the Giants. When I see or hear Giants fans acting badly toward Dodger fans, I dislike it as much as I do the other way around.
Blessings, Desert Dave
CHRISTIAN THOUGHT FOR THE DAY(Courtesy of Our Daily Bread)God is the master of turning burdens into blessings.
Tuesday, May 5, 2009
Are You A Good Person?
http://upchucky.com/person.html
Almost everyone thinks that they are a good person... and will admit having a bad habit or two.... Have you ever wondered how you might look in God's eye? Have you ever wondered.... "Am I good enough to go to Heaven?" How can you know for sure? You can find out by testing your lifestyle to God's rules....... The Ten Commandments. Most people say, "Well, I've broken one or two, but nothing too serious, like murder, etc." So let's randomly go through God's Commandments and see how well you do...
Continue
I'm feeling kind of lazy, so the above is all I'm going to quote. Click the link and enjoy.
CHRISTIAN THOUGHT FOR THE DAY(Courtesy of Our Daily Bread)To tune in to God's voice, we must tune out this world's noise.
Blessings, Desert Dave
Almost everyone thinks that they are a good person... and will admit having a bad habit or two.... Have you ever wondered how you might look in God's eye? Have you ever wondered.... "Am I good enough to go to Heaven?" How can you know for sure? You can find out by testing your lifestyle to God's rules....... The Ten Commandments. Most people say, "Well, I've broken one or two, but nothing too serious, like murder, etc." So let's randomly go through God's Commandments and see how well you do...
Continue
I'm feeling kind of lazy, so the above is all I'm going to quote. Click the link and enjoy.
CHRISTIAN THOUGHT FOR THE DAY(Courtesy of Our Daily Bread)To tune in to God's voice, we must tune out this world's noise.
Blessings, Desert Dave
Saturday, May 2, 2009
OK, So I'm going to turn political a bit.
Watching Mike Huckabee tonight led me to go on his website which, in turn, led me to apply to have this blog linked to his site. Mike's attraction to me, first of all, is that he is a Christian, and secondly a conservative. I did not follow him that closely during the Republican primaries, so I'm not that familiar with all his political positions. Despite that, I endorse him 100%.
I don't know if the Huckabee producers will accept this blog as a link, but I'll let you know if it ends up there, but here's the link: http://www.huckpac.com/?Fuseaction=Blogs.Home.
CHRISTIAN THOUGHT FOR THE DAY(Courtesy of Our Daily Bread)
In God's eyes, true greatness is serving others.
I don't know if the Huckabee producers will accept this blog as a link, but I'll let you know if it ends up there, but here's the link: http://www.huckpac.com/?Fuseaction=Blogs.Home.
CHRISTIAN THOUGHT FOR THE DAY(Courtesy of Our Daily Bread)
In God's eyes, true greatness is serving others.
Friday, May 1, 2009
Happy May Day Everyone
But what is May Day actually other than the date of May 1?
Well, for one thing, it's an international distress call whether from ship, shore, or air. If you check the following website, you'll find that it is more than one thing.
http://www.infoplease.com/spot/mayday.html
As an introduction to the above site, I quote the following:
"May 1st, often called May Day, just might have more holidays than any other day of the year. It's a celebration of Spring. It's a day of political protests. It's a neopagan festival, a saint's feast day, and a day for organized labor. In many countries, it is a national holiday."
There is much more info available on the site itself.
I kind of like the celebration of Spring myself. If my information is correct, it is hardly Spring in the SF Bay Area today, with heavy rains forecast. Sure hope it doesn't interfere with my Giants game tonight. Today is a typical May day here in the desert. 87 degrees F right now with slight overcast and just enough breeze to make the heat bearable.
So, whatever you're doing this day, have a great weekend and keep safe including staying away from piggies.= -;)
CHRISTIAN THOUGHT FOR THE DAY(Courtesy of Our Daily Bread)Like a compass, the Bible always points us in the right direction
Well, for one thing, it's an international distress call whether from ship, shore, or air. If you check the following website, you'll find that it is more than one thing.
http://www.infoplease.com/spot/mayday.html
As an introduction to the above site, I quote the following:
"May 1st, often called May Day, just might have more holidays than any other day of the year. It's a celebration of Spring. It's a day of political protests. It's a neopagan festival, a saint's feast day, and a day for organized labor. In many countries, it is a national holiday."
There is much more info available on the site itself.
I kind of like the celebration of Spring myself. If my information is correct, it is hardly Spring in the SF Bay Area today, with heavy rains forecast. Sure hope it doesn't interfere with my Giants game tonight. Today is a typical May day here in the desert. 87 degrees F right now with slight overcast and just enough breeze to make the heat bearable.
So, whatever you're doing this day, have a great weekend and keep safe including staying away from piggies.= -;)
CHRISTIAN THOUGHT FOR THE DAY(Courtesy of Our Daily Bread)Like a compass, the Bible always points us in the right direction
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