Memorial Day Musings

 I've traveled to New Mexico recently and the little guest house I stayed in had no internet, so my blog writing was put on hold for a couple of weeks.  Now, this morning, as I sit here in my own home and reflect on the meaning of this day, I thought it would be interesting to delve into its history a bit.

Aside from being the unofficial start of summer and a great day for picnics, parades and planting, Memorial Day is our national day to honor those who have died in war.  While I confess that I've always been a bit disturbed by the whole concept of war and the terrible things that happen during battle, I can certainly understand the need to recognize those who have sacrificed their lives to protect our freedom.

                                                    Memorial Day flag, Hoover Dam, 2021

Memorial Day actually has an interesting history: it began after the Civil War as a way to honor the many lives lost as well as a way to try to unite the country after the devastating division.  "One of the earliest and perhaps largest ceremonies was held in Charleston, South Carolina, in 1865. In Dr. David Blight's book, 'Race and Reunion:The Civil War in American Memory', he explains that in May 1865, newly freed African Americans reburied 257 Union soldiers, who had died in a prison camp and were hastily buried, in order to give them the proper honors in death. The new graves were blanketed by flowers and dedicated, with thousands of people parading down the racetrack that had been the site of the prison camp...The government established national cemeteries for the Union fallen, while cemeteries were established in cities and towns across the country. With those cemeteries came mourners. They decorated the graves of their fallen heroes with flowers. They recited prayers. They held tributes. It began as a very solemn day".  It was declared a national holiday by Lyndon B. Johnson in 1966 and it has been an established tradition since then. 

(https://www.nps.gov/articles/memorial-day-history.html).

 This year, as our country faces another period of deep division and we are sorely in need of some unity, I pray that we will all reflect on the sacrifices of those who died for the freedom and equality of all Americans, regardless of  race or color and that we will resolve to honor them by planting seeds of peace, healing and unity in our own lives.

 

 

I Sing Because I Am

 Yesterday, as I sat in church listening to beautiful music, resisting the urge to sing (which is against Covid rules!), I wondered about why we sing. It seems to be a spontaneous and natural expression of emotion-even very young children have the innate desire to make music with their voices. If you listen to a baby cooing and babbling, it has a very sing-song sound that is a delight to the ears and early language has a fluid cadence that is musical in quality. 

 Singing is a universal language-it transcends language barriers and can bring people of all cultures together in a shared joyful experience. In fact, singing and making music are human expressions that are common to every culture in the world.  The desire to sing is just part of who we are as spiritual beings living together on planet earth. Not only does singing seem to be natural for us, whether we can carry a tune or not, it has physical and spiritual benefits:  

•   To sing fully and completely, you need good breath support. It not only produces good sound—this kind of breathing gives your mind and body the positive effects of more oxygen and more complete exhalation of carbon dioxide. 
•   Unless you confine yourself to singing in the shower, singing means community and interpersonal connection. 
•  When you’re singing, it’s almost impossible to think about other things—the challenges of daily life, for example. You’re focused specifically on what you are doing. Being fully in the present moment allows us welcome distraction from other thoughts, issues, or burdens. Singing brings respite and refocus. 
•   Singing offers the opportunity for mastery, for a sense of learning, growing, and accomplishing.
•  Moving more into the cognitive aspects of singing, memorization uses different aspects of our brains. Singing itself is really a very complex process, involving various areas of our brain 
•  There is the emotional aspect as well: What does the music say, how does the singer convey it, what does it evoke in our memories, whether about the music itself or some totally unrelated memory? Does the music bring us to tears? To joy? To laughter?
•  Song is a form of communication. A lullaby soothes an infant; it communicates “you matter.” (psychologytoday.com)  

I would like to add one more benefit to singing that was not mentioned in the above article: singing is a form of praise that connects us to our Creator in a way that few things do.  We are elevated spiritually by the very vibration and sound of the music that flows from the depths of our own being...it is a form of prayer at the most profound level.  

So today, I challenge you to sing: in the shower, in the car, out in the garden, wherever you happen to be.  Put on some music and sing along; use your voice as a form of praise and prayer.  I'm guessing it will lift your mood and maybe make your day a little brighter.

Motherhood and Apple Pie

Few things in life are as comforting as a warm slice of apple pie topped with a scoop of ice cream or the tenderness of a mother's hug. We begin life seeking comfort, emerging from the womb to the safety and warmth of our mother's breast.

As we grow, if we are fortunate, we have our physical and emotional needs met -- enough food to eat, plenty of hugs, hand holding and encouragement.

The phrase "motherhood and apple pie" has a generally accepted cultural association with goodness and family values -- the things we all try to cling to when we're going through difficult times or when venturing into something new and unfamiliar. 

During the early days of the pandemic, I sought comfort from the uncertainty of the lock-down by baking.  Every few days, I baked a new batch of cookies, trying new recipes or returning to old favorites.  I baked bread, something I hadn't done since my children were young, and of course, I had to make soups to accompany the freshly baked bread. Needless to say, my husband and I put on a few pounds, but we countered this with daily "sanity hikes" to parks and trails in the area and we discovered some new and beautiful places.  Connecting to nature has always been a source of peace and reassurance for me, especially at times when humans were less than kind. With the virus lurking and crowded places deemed unsafe, open spaces and fresh, green growing things were a true salvation.

This morning, as I meditate on life a little more than a year past the start of the pandemic, when I and most of those I know are vaccinated and starting to feel an easing of that uncertainty, I am grateful for those sources of physical peace, as well as the spiritual solace provided by having extra time for prayer and silent contemplation. If there is something positive to be gleaned from this time, it is this finding of comfort in simplicity, this hearkening back to the basics of motherhood and apple pie.