Well, apparently I did because today is a holiday here. It's Confederate Memorial Day which is also celebrated in six other states. This holiday wasn't on my radar screen.
I was born in a former Confederate state and live in one where the re-enactment of the Confederacy is still alive. There are many who will dress up in uniforms today and provide a sanitized glimpse of the war in which so many were killed. Perhaps it would be better to have a Civil War History Day in which all aspects of the conflict could be used to educate about how such wars must not be repeated.
I much prefer the sweet smelling Confederate jessamine and the hedge rows of honeysuckle to the smell of gunpowder. I love the South but that dark time of history has always filled me with sadness.
Maybe the real lesson is that divided we are weaker. Respect for individuals and caring for each other makes us much stronger. I would rather that we not re-enact or memorialize the worst of the past but start working on the best of the future.
So after staying at work for a few hours, I left to run some errands, talked to a couple of sponsees, and met a friend for a late lunch. Tonight is my home group meeting. I am looking forward to it. Have a good day celebrating life and the living.
At least it wasn't Saturday. I've almost done that a time or two!
ReplyDeleteNow that is interesting, going to work on a day that is really a holiday. Dang. Must be a reason you were to be at work today.
ReplyDeleteSounds like a surprise gift - discovering it was a holiday.
ReplyDeleteI too love the smell of Confederate jasmine and the smell of honeysuckle always zooms me back to my childhood. Beautiful smell brings back beautiful memories.
PG
yeah, i hear you seperated we fall...so true. hope the rest of our day continues to go well...
ReplyDeleteInteresting reason for a holiday. The South doesnt die hard, does it. Glad you feel better and enjoyed the day!
ReplyDeleteYour second to last paragraph says it all.
ReplyDeleteI love the South also. While living in Georgia I always heard that the reason the dirt was red (clay) was because of the blood shed in the Civil War. Great lessons we learned from that epic period of time. I'm glad you reminded us. You said it beautifully.
ReplyDeleteSome old ideas ...
ReplyDeleteBy the end of the day,
ReplyDeleteEverything shall be put away.
Happy Monday Evening,
Happy Tuesday!
I agree with you on the sanitizing and romanticising of war -- like the US, many of our wars in southern Africa were fought over slavery, land greed and racism. Fear and ignorance need to be countered by deeper truthful analysis.
ReplyDeleteOur town just had the annual re-enactment last week. The noise is deafening and it actually makes me very uneasy. I didn't attend, but just being close to the local park they hold it at is uncomfortable. I could see forgetting this holiday. Thanks for your encouraging and wise words over at my place as always, very helpful.
ReplyDeleteAah - the fragrances of Confederate jasmine and honeysuckle! Also gardenias and tea olives. Wonderful.
ReplyDeletethe real lesson being divided we are weaker... that must be why Al-Anon and AA work so well together. They are WE programs. There simply is no recovery for this alcoholic without another by my side. (and often times out in front leading)
ReplyDeleteSo very true. I can't imagine living through the Civil War as a mother, or as anyone else for that matter. Such sad times. I watched the History Channel Sunday and saw some of that war mentioned. More Americans were killed in the Civil War than in all other wars combined. Some families even had people fighting on both sides. Just sad sad sad.
ReplyDeleteNow that I live in the South (past 32 years) it never fails to amaze me how that whole era is still so uppermost in many people's minds. I wish they could go forward and accept that we are ONE.
ReplyDeleteConfederate Memorial Day?! Oh my . . .
ReplyDeleteI went to work on Christmas Day once--at a McDonald's. It was the only day in the year which they closed the restaurant. I missed our eggnog tradition at home.
ReplyDeleteBeing in a program, I can ALWAYS find something to do. No problem!
(Late lunch, for starters--grin!)
It's a curious idea, celebrating a war between brothers. But I'm not Southern, so how could I understand?
ReplyDeletePersonally, I'm trying to learn what it means to cease fighting everything and everyone. To accept things I can't change. To know when not to try to change things. It's a hard lesson.