Tag: Holiday

Memorial Day 2021

~~ a holiday quindecim

by tkbrown
Memorial Day was set aside
to honor our family's dead.
Those who in uniform died
honored for the soil they tread,
given a bit more recognition
because they defended us too.
If they were fallen in combat,
talk of ways they served true
was joined and tucked in a bonnet
for remembrance again a year hence.
Others, remembered for who they were--
a good word said that did not mince
the contributions one did confer.
The family plot was decorated
with flowers, artificial and planted--
and flags for special honor granted.

Now the day is thought special
as the first summer get-away for fun.
No thought is given to things stressful,
and no history of family is spun.
Persons in our past are mostly forgotten
and no day is set aside to remember
special service or skills they were totin'.
Many get away in a fifth-wheel camper;
while others prefer to pitch a tent
and build a campfire for their supper.
Yet others prefer a more modern bent
with room to let and meals served proper.
The day is now a summer holiday
with a forward view far and away
from the memory of our yesterday.

As a kid, I remember an early rising
with a picnic to pack for the family,
visiting graveyard plots of those resting
and decorating each resting spot nicely.
The noon-time meal was specially planned
with contributions by a multitude of kin.
The spread of food was home-cooked or -canned
with favorites and new fare thrown in.
Before the meal a short service was given
to give thanks and mention those sleeping
in this beautiful spot 'specially chosen
for those awaiting Jesus' coming.
The day was complete after noontide fare
and visiting had finished with those there
for the remembrance and annual prayer.

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Photo Above: by Kacper Lawiński @pixabay.com.

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Beginnings

Happy New Year!!! — Happy New Decade!!!

by tkbrown

The start of a New Year is traditionally a time for New Beginnings. Resolutions are made with the specific intent of changing behaviors that hinder us from being the best person we can be. The custom dates to ancient days in many countries and cultures. It is often tied to religious customs designed to acknowledge wrongdoing of the past year, seek forgiveness and determine not to repeat the forgiven offense. This year, complicating matters involving resolutions for 2020 is the beginning of a New Decade as well. Many will be setting long-term goals for the decade in both business and personal endeavors.

Resolutions are meant to strengthen our resolve in attaining specific goals. The problem is, more than half are unable to maintain the expected behavior modification. It is important to resolve changes that are small steps toward an intended goal. Keep the expected change small enough to be attainable.

Designating behavioral change above that which one is able to attain often leads to self-deprecation due to the difficulty of achieving the desired goal — so it is lost even before it is begun. If you embrace the custom of resolving change as each new year begins, be kind to yourself. Don’t expect too much. Set an attainable goal, because then you can be pleased with the progress you have made — and you can truly celebrate the end of a good year when New Years’s Day 2021 comes ’round. Above all, as some wise person once said — Live, Laugh, Love!!!

Happy New Year!!!!

    Live, Laugh, Love
    pexels.com

    The Reason . . .

    ~~ by tkbrown ~~

    The tree is up, tinsel is strung;
    ornaments are still to be hung.
    Music of ‘carols’ fills the air,
    eggnog is poured for all to share.

    Mistletoe pinned above the door
    waits to prompt a kiss for the fair
    maiden awaiting her genteel knight
    to gently whisk her out of sight.

    Nutcracker stands guard in the night,
    sentinel o’er all we hold tight —
    gifts, goodies, special people too —
    keeping them all just out of view.

    Techie gizmos, trinkets — a few,
    games and gadgets bidding adieu
    to yester-year, all once held dear —
    sentiment lost midst sparkling cheer.

    Glitter and glitz are everywhere
    exuding, extolling to share
    excitement and spirit amidst
    festive colors ample assist.

    Nowhere is seen the sentiment
    thought to be a strong permanent
    expression of this Holy season,
    and no one cares to give reason.

    Commercial wiles have overtaken
    the public reason for this season;
    thus, with sadness some shall lament
    celebration of each red cent.

    Have We Forgotten the Reason?

    Image by: Reuben Teo
    Unsplash.com

    Calendar Quindecims –November

    ~~ by tkbrown

    ~~~~~~~~~~

    November
Thanksgiving vibes flow through our veins,
fill the atmosphere with celebratory strains.
Our hearts overflow with holiday cheer
as carols ring out in the blustery air.
Tinsels, lights and bows are strung
along the streets, in our homes are hung
as shoppers search for gifts far flung.
Christmas carols begin to be sung
by old and young and those in between,
and one can almost see a glistening sheen
as everywhere people cast doubt aside
and swear by His will they do abide.
Thanksgiving Day we'll offer up a prayer
for all the love, food and wealth we share --
the Spirit overcomes all we cannot hold dear.

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    Photo above:
The First Thanksgiving -- by Bettman/Corbis @ Smithsonian.org,

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