Tag: Memorial Day

May-Mothers, Memories, and Memorials

In May, we honor and remember mothers, celebrating parenthood and family with the all-star comedy “MOTHER’S DAY.” This month evokes memories of proms, graduations, and weddings, as well as timely topics like health concerns and women’s health. The month also includes observances like Mother’s Day and Memorial Day, along with personal reflections and celebrations.

May is a month of remembering and creating memories.

Mother’s Day

In the United States, we designate the second Sunday in May Mother’s Day to honor mothers. You may not be one, but we all have one, although, like me, yours may be deceased. (I know other nations have a similar day on a different date.)

Me with my mother when I graduated from medical school in 1978

You may have pleasant or not-so-pleasant memories of your mother; nurturing may not come easily to some women, possibly because they did not receive it. Sometimes when that happens, other women step in to bridge the gap. They deserve to be honored also.

Mother’s Day-the movie

From Garry Marshall, the director of Pretty Woman and Valentine’s Day, comes MOTHER’S DAY, an all-star comedy that celebrates parenthood and family.

Jennifer Aniston, Julia Roberts, Kate Hudson, and Jason Sudeikis lead an incredible cast in a film that intersects the lives of a group of people maneuvering their way through a crazy week of difficult relationships and family dysfunction in the week leading up to Mother’s Day. It’s a comedy that will make you laugh, cry and cheer! (this is an affiliate income-generating link)

Memories

May is a traditional month for proms, graduations, and weddings. During the COVID-19 pandemic, many did not happen as planned but most found creative ways to create meaningful memories anyway.

Here I am dancing with my son at his 2019 wedding which might not have happened a year later

I married my husband in May; I almost share an anniversary with the Duchess of Sussex, the former American actress Meghan Markle. She and Prince Harry are parents of a cute little boy, Archie, and a girl, Lillibet, named after her great-grandmother, the late Queen Elizabeth of England.

Now the family lives in the United States, California. Their marriage has been strained by family, political, financial, and personal issues, as have most marriages. I wrote about our marriage journey in this post.

Two Words That Still Change My Life

This post shares a personal journey of unexpected love, marriage, and struggles stemming from unrecognized PTSD. It delves into the transformative power of reconciliation and healing trips to Vietnam, ultimately bringing hope and joy. Through various life-changing encounters, the couple’s story exemplifies the impact of powerful, unforeseen words and encounters.

Keep reading

May timely topics include

exploring the HEART of health, memories, and celebrations

I’d love for you to follow this blog and follow me on social media.

I share information and inspiration to help you transform challenges into opportunities for learning and growth.

Add your name to the subscribe box to be notified of new posts by email. Click the link to read the post and browse other content. It’s that simple. No spam.

I enjoy seeing who is new to Watercress Words. When you subscribe, I will visit your blog or website. Thanks and see you next time.

Featured image

cheesy-free faith-focused stock photos

The featured image in this post is from Lightstock-quality photos and graphics site- free trial here. 

(This is an affiliate link)

Please review these affiliate links that make your life easier. Thanks for considering.

Dr. Aletha

Wondering what to get Mom for Mother’s Day? Maybe some help with remembering her passwords?

RoboForm Password Manager. What I use to manage passwords.

poppies- from Flanders fields to Kansas City

In the battlefields of Belgium during World War I, poppies grew wild amid the ravages of war. The overturned soils of battle covered  the poppy seeds to,  allowing them to grow and forever serve as a reminder of the bloodshed of war.

Out of this conflict came a poem, from which also came the association with poppies .

When I posted this in a physician bloggers group, I learned about the World War I Museum and Memorial in Kansas City from Dr. Kristen Kasper Stuppy. I haven’t visited it yet, but I was pleased to learn from their website that they have an exhibit featuring poppies.

“though poppies grow in Flanders fields”

In the United States,  the last Monday in May is Memorial Day, but it’s now become a  “holiday” weekend. The Friday of Memorial Day weekend is now observed as  National Poppy Day. 

In the early 1920s the American Legion Auxiliary adopted the poppy as the American Legion Family’s memorial flower. Still today it symbolizes the service and sacrifice of veterans of World War I and other military operations.

ALA members distribute millions of paper poppies annually across the country in exchange for donations that go directly to assist disabled and hospitalized veterans in our communities.

armed forces emblems over a field of poppies

Why poppies?

I love the story of the poppies because it has a medical connection.

In the battlefields of Belgium during World War I, poppies grew wild amid the ravages of war. The overturned soils of battle covered  the poppy seeds to,  allowing them to grow and forever serve as a reminder of the bloodshed of war.

Out of this conflict came a poem, from which also came the association with poppies .

 

The now famous poem, In Flanders Fields, was written by a Canadian physician, Lt. Col. John McCrae.

Originally from Canada, Dr.McCrae was an English and math teacher, as well as a poet, before he attended medical school. He moved to England and was practicing there when World War I broke out, and he was called to serve as a brigade-surgeon.

I suspect that as a physician, he was deeply  pained by  treating the wounded, and the loss of those he could not save.

“In April 1915, McCrae was stationed in the trenches near Ypres, Belgium, in an area known as Flanders, during the bloody Second Battle of Ypres.

In the midst of the tragic warfare, McCrae’s friend, twenty-two-year-old Lieutenant Alexis Helmer, was killed by artillery fire and buried in a makeshift grave.

The following day, McCrae, after seeing the field of makeshift graves blooming with wild poppies, wrote his famous poem “In Flanders Field,” which would be the second to last poem he would ever write.”

(from John McCrae at poets.org)

In Flanders Fields

Dr. John McCrae, 1872 – 1918

In Flanders fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row, 
That mark our place, and in the sky, 
The larks, still bravely singing, fly, 
Scarce heard amid the guns below. 

We are the dead; short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow, 
Loved and were loved, and now we lie
In Flanders fields. 

Take up our quarrel with the foe! 
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high! 
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.

This poem is in the public domain.

 

The poppy is the official state flower of California.  Read 5 more

interesting facts about poppies. 

Welcome Home Heroes- military sign
Thanks to the support of generous donors like you, The American Legion can continue to provide much-needed assistance to our veterans, service members and their families.

You can  help deserving veterans by donating  at this link,

The American Legion 

just one of the ways this blog works to share the HEART of health

Dr. Aletha