In Memory...

Remember Peace

“On Memorial Day, I don't want to only remember the combatants. There were also those who came out of the trenches as writers and poets, who started preaching peace, men and women who have made this world a kinder place to live.”

Eric Burdon (Singer Songwriter)

Memorial Day in America began in 1868, and was called Decoration Day. It was meant to be a day set aside to honor the fallen in the Civil War—America's deadliest war with 620,000 casualties, either from combat or disease. Since that time, we have lost well over a million men and women to war. Memorial Day is perhaps the saddest day of the year.

There will be parades today; marching bands, marching soldiers; wreaths will be laid, flags flown. But the way we could truly honor our precious dead children would be to stop warring; to stop the killing, and the spilling of blood, both our own and others'. We could make Memorial Day a celebration of the time we embraced peace—when we beat our swords into plowshares and sang, “Down by the Riverside.” Can you hear it now?

“I'm gonna lay down my sword and shield,

Down by the riverside, down by the riverside,

I'm gonna lay down my sword and shield

Down by the riverside, study war no more.

I ain't gonna study war no more,

Ain't gonna study war no more,

Ain't gonna study war no more,

I ain't gonna study war no more...”

(Gilbert; Brown)

In celebrating Memorial Day, I hope you will remember peace.

                                                          In the Spirit,

                                                                Jane