Gravestones are decorated in many different ways. Some have angels on them symbolizing the journey from earth to Heaven. Yet more have words from the Bible. Others express sorrow at the loss of a loved one. In every cemetery there is a history of people and how they have lived.

 

There are cemeteries all over the U.S.A dedicated to those who served and died for their country. They range from the National Memorial Cemetery of Arizona to the world famous Arlington National Cemetery. There lie the heroes and heroines of battles at home and abroad.

 

Memorial Day is the day dedicated to them. On that day we honor and remember them and their supreme sacrifice We associate Memorial Day with wreath laying ceremonies and with speeches. We associate it too with the sound of the bugle and parades and Memorial Day concerts. Some people place flags on the graves of the fallen. Today it is often treated just as a holiday and the real meaning is forgotten.

 

Yet we should not forget those who died so that we could enjoy the outings, the fireworks and the shopping that are now so much a part of Memorial Day. At the very least we can all observe the one minute's silence held at 3p.m. local time on the day.

  

In this Memorial Day our prayers are with the Oklahoma people. In an instant this week, neighborhoods in were destroyed, dozens of people lost their lives and many more were injured. Among the victims were young children trying to take shelter in the safest place they knew - their school.

 

At least 24 people were killed in the massive twister, including at least eight children. The storm laid waste to scores of buildings in Moore, a community of 56,000 people about 10 miles south of Oklahoma City. Block after block lay in ruins. Homes were crushed into piles of broken wood. Cars and trucks were left crumpled on the roadside. Rescuers launched a desperate rescue effort at the two elementary schools, pulling children from heaps of debris and carrying them to a triage center.

 

Our prayers are with the Oklahoma people.

Many do visit graveyards on the day but not the graves of soldiers or sailors. They visit the graves of their own family members. It is, of course, fitting that we should keep family graves in good order. It is appropriate that we remember those who were good to us. We should never forget loving parents and all they did for us.

 

Memorial Day is a day when we might remind our children of their ancestry. It should provide a good opportunity to do a little research into our own backgrounds. Genealogy is a very popular pastime and it is understandable that people want to know more about their forbearers. Children are very interested in learning about the grandparents and what people did in the good old days. By introducing them to genealogy because of Memorial Day you are giving them the opportunity to learn about their ancestors. It's

also a chance to sneak in the odd history lesson unobtrusively as well!

 

So Memorial Day is a private as well as a public occasion. It's about military ceremonies or family get together. It's about soldiers marching and saluting. It is about picnics in the park or on the beach. It is about the past and what it means to the present.

 

It is, in fact, what we make of it.

 

Have a wonderfull weekend. On behalf of all staff and residents at Dodge Park Rest Home, I would like to wish all our family members, supporters and freind a great Memorial Day weekend.

 

Micha Shalev MHA CDP CDCM

Dodge Park Rest Home