Memorial Day is a day to honor and mourn military personnel who died while serving in the United States Armed Forces.
This year, the Servicemember Employee Resource Group at Securian Financial is ensuring we still commemorate the day despite having to do so largely from home.
For the last couple of years, the group has hosted a Fallen Soldier Table in our workplace cafeteria. It is a poignant reminder of the Americans we have lost in the line of service by setting a table.
Traditionally the table is set for one, symbolizing the isolation of the absent service member. Each item of the table setting has a symbolic meaning, and setting a table of your own at home can be a significant way to take part in the holiday. Here’s how.
- An empty chair and table setting represent service members who were or are missing but are with us in spirit.
- A white tablecloth represents the purity of our soldiers’ intentions to respond to their country’s call to arms.
- A single red rose signifies the blood many have sacrificed to ensure the freedom of our country, as well as the faith families and friends of our missing soldiers have while awaiting their return.
- A slice of lemon represents the bitter fate of the missing.
- Salt symbolizes the tears of our missing and their loved ones.
- An inverted glass represents that the missing cannot partake.
- A lit candle represents the light of hope to illuminate soldiers’ way home.
