jeffreymark

A HISTORY OF MEMORIAL DAY

Instapundit links us with this interesting bit of history about Memorial Day. The article includes a notable tradition carried on each Memorial Day since the 1950's:

Since the late 50's on the Thursday before Memorial Day, the 1,200 soldiers of the 3d U.S. Infantry place small American flags at each of the more than 260,000 gravestones at Arlington National Cemetery. They then patrol 24 hours a day during the weekend to ensure that each flag remains standing. In 1951, the Boy Scouts and Cub Scouts of St. Louis began placing flags on the 150,000 graves at Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery as an annual Good Turn, a practice that continues to this day. More recently, beginning in 1998, on the Saturday before the observed day for Memorial Day, the Boys Scouts and Girl Scouts place a candle at each of approximately 15,300 grave sites of soldiers buried at Fredericksburg and Spotsylvania National Military Park on Marye's Heights (the Luminaria Program). And in 2004, Washington D.C. held its first Memorial Day parade in over 60 years.

NO FLOWERS PLEASE

Hard working mothers today would rather receive a more lasting gift than flowers on Mother's Day.

After the most desired gift, a card (which is far more personal than an e-mail, maybe even more so than a phone call), moms said they would like “a day of no chores or responsibilities.” So much for flowers and candy. (I’ve actually never understood why flowers are such a popular gift. They expire in days, and a meaningful Mother’s Day gift should be timeless.) But a fine dinner at a fancy restaurant ranked highest among gift selections from their husbands. From these selections, it appears that moms don’t need lots of bows and ribbons to know gratitude and affection -- just something from the heart.

Outside of a day off and a good steak dinner, (Tex-Mex food if one lives in Texas) I believe a nice piece of jewelry makes a fitting gift. Never give a microwave oven or anything else mom can use on you. Make it personally significant.

Read more here.

SEEING THE BIG PICTURE

This moving story from the Dallas Morning News ought to challenge our purpose in life. People indeed matter more than things, and animals.

THEY'RE GUNNIN' FOR SANTA THIS YEAR

R.J. Matson

THE WEALTHY FAIL TO APPRECIATE THE TRUE MEANING OF CHRISTMAS

From the folks over at The Onion.Com.

CHRISTMAS GIFTS FOR PASTORS

Michael Duduit, editor of Preaching Magazine posts ten gifts of Christmas every pastor ought to receive:

10. A whole week at a favorite conference without being called home for a funeral.

9. An entire Sunday without a single complain about the temperature, music, or sermon.

8. A year's subscription to Preaching magazine.

7. A gift certificate good for a free car wash, lawn mowing, or similar time-consuming chore.

6. A large velvet painting of Elvis. (You'd be surprised what those things will bring on E-Bay.)

5. A pass allowing the pastor to skip the next Youth Lock-In, Senior Adult Square Dance, or other church social event of your choice.

4. A two-year subscription to Preaching magazine. (Beginning to see a pattern here?)

3. A standing ovation after the pastor's next sermon.

2. An entire, uninterrupted day off — out of the office — with no calls, questions, pages, complaints or email spam.

1. A free membership at Weight Watchers, to undo all the damage from the holidays!

I might add, please, no more little religious knickknacks or religious trinkets for my home and office. Give me a calendar of Border Collies or the Beatles-anything but more religious paraphernalia.

A TOTALLY PC CHRISTMAS

Go here to view the article and read the number key.
(Hat tip: Mary Katharine Ham)

BIBLICAL THANKSGIVING

Thanksgiving holidays extract various images from individuals depending on their upbringing. In general secularist may give thanks to the many significant people in their lives who make their existence a bit more meaningful. Christians often embrace the Bible's portrait of thanksgiving. Author and scholar Mark Roberts is one such person. Today he post a compelling exegetical piece extracted from the Psalms:

So here’s my question: What does it mean to thank God with my whole heart? Then I have some follow up questions: How can I give thanks wholeheartedly if, in fact, my heart is heavy? What if I’m not feeling very thankful today? Surely I’m not supposed to fake gratitude, as if I could pull the wool over God’s eyes. How can I be authentic before God and still give Him thanks with my whole heart? We’ll be able to answer these questions if we understand the Hebrew conception of the heart. We translate the Hebrew word leb as “heart,” and there are places in the Old Testament where leb is associated with emotions. Psalm 13:5, for example, says, “My heart shall rejoice in your salvation.” Yet leb in Hebrew means far more than “heart” in English. The leb is not merely the seat of the emotions, but also of the will, even the mind. The leb is the whole inner person: thoughts, feelings, choices, purposes. In particular, the leb is that which guides our actions. It’s what we usually speak of in English as the will.

Discover more here.

GIVING THANKS FOR THOSE WHO KEEP US SAFE

Thanksgiving season inspires introspection on the part of a few soldiers as reported by the AP:

For troops across Iraq, it's a time to reflect on time spent away from loved ones back home, and to celebrate a tradition as American as apple pie _ which could be found at the dessert table, next to the pumpkin pie.

Sgt. Shawn Tostado, a 31-year-old member of the 44th Expeditionary Signal Battalion from Sacramento, California, said this was his first Thanksgiving since his mother died in August.

"This is the first holiday I've had without her. This is my extended family now," Tostado said, gesturing to his fellow soldiers at Camp Speicher in Tikrit. "I do more with these guys than anyone else."

"I've gotta say, these deployments are harder on the family back home I think, celebrating the holidays without us. We're busy here constantly, but they worry," he said.

This Thanksgiving I remember and thank God for all those who placed themselves in harm's way so I might enjoy a life of luxury and peace. Many brave men and women made a supreme sacrifice because they passionately embraced the idealism our forefathers set forth in writing over 200 years ago. We owe those brave folks a debt we can never repay. My own father, a WWII veteran, died 27 years ago. If he were alive today he would adamantly exhort me to live my life as an offering of thanksgiving by loving my fellow human beings, doing good wherever possible, and supporting those who continue to fight for our freedoms. Hat's oof to you. Some of us shall never forget your selfless acts of bravery.

HAPPY 4th

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