Memorial Day Thoughts and an Herbal Tea Blend for Remembrance

This article are some of my thoughts about Memorial Day, and I also formulated an herbal tea blend for you that’s simple, yet delicious. The herbs in the blend are helpful for focus, brain health, memory (of course), peacefulness.

Memorial Day in America has sneakily become the beginning of summer. It's the end of the school year, and families are planning grand vacations...or at least things to do with the family for the summer months.

There are gardens to tend, grills to light, family gatherings to enjoy, long weekends to rest into, outdoor projects to get done, and even a little extra time outside with bare feet in the grass. I love all of those things.

But Memorial Day is also a day of remembering.

It’s a day to pause and honor the men and women who gave their lives in service to this country. These were real people with real families, real dreams, real stories, and real sacrifice. And when I stop and think about that, even for just a few minutes, it feels so different from just “a long weekend.”

Military service is woven pretty deeply into my own family story. I'm a mother of three military men. All three of my sons have served in some way, and so did my father.

My middle son is a decorated Green Beret who has served in many, many hard places and saved lives. My youngest son graduated from West Point Military Academy. My oldest spent time in the National Guard. And my father served in the Army, where he led troops and eventually used that opportunity to go to college and build a wonderful career in education, rising to the highest levels of service there, too.

I am beyond grateful that nobody passed away in our family from wartimes, but I understand the sacrifice given by those who did. And I also honor and value the sacrifice and time it takes to go through the hard things to serve our country in the ways my sons and father have. I can't imagine some of the things they've seen and experienced.

Here are two of my sons and my dad at my daughter’s graduation from medical school last year.

When I think about Memorial Day, I don’t think about it in a distant way. I think about mothers and wives, fathers and sons, daughters and brothers and sisters, and all the families who have carried sacrifices most of us can only imagine.

And I feel so very grateful.

I feel grateful for my life, and I feel so very grateful to be able to live here in America. I know we have our many political issues and problems. BUT...we also have access to things others in the world don't have. And even if we're not wealthy, we enjoy many simple things in our freedoms here.

The freedom to walk outside and gather a handful of herbs is not a small thing. The freedom to care for our families in the ways we believe are right is not a small thing. Having health choices and options for how we want to care for ourselves is hugely important.

The freedoms to learn, grow, worship, speak, teach, question, build, plant, preserve, and prepare are not small things. Even the freedom to make a cup of tea in our kitchens and sit quietly for a few minutes is a blessing worth noticing.

These ordinary things are not really ordinary at all. They are part of the life we’ve been given, and I don’t want to waste that.

This weekend, maybe you’ll be outside working in the garden like I'm doing. I've been busy for the last two weeks planting hundreds of medicinal herbs. More rosemary, thyme, and basil...the ordinary culinary and medicinals. And also more hardcore medicinal plants like valerian, hyssop (the official medicinal), poppies, hops, Oregon grape root, and many, many more; plus tending to the medicinal trees we planted last summer (over 100 of them).

My goal is to create a working apothecary and teaching garden. Most of these plants are perennials, so they'll become like family to me as I tend them over time.

Simple or not, these plants remind me that healing should begin practically, right where we are. And they can help us not only with our physical health, but also our emotional and mental wellness too.

A cup of tea, a warm bath, a salve rubbed into tired hands, a few drops of lavender in the diffuser after a long day, or a sprig of rosemary tucked into a jar on the windowsill won’t fix the sorrows of the world. They won’t erase grief or undo sacrifice or answer every hard question that pops into our head.

But they do help us tend what is right in front of us.

They help us care for the living.

We can steward our health and plant beauty. We can teach our children and....remember to remember.

This weekend, as you go about whatever this Memorial Day holds for you, I hope you take a little moment to remember. Step outside if you can. Put your hand on a plant you love. Breathe in the scent of rosemary, lavender, pine, mint, or whatever is growing near you (and this is a form of aromatherapy too!).

Say a prayer of thanks for all the families who gave more than most of us can imagine.

All of these herbs in a simple little space can be used for cooking….and also for supporting memory. Sage, rosemary, oregano, and add a bit of peppermint, spearmint, and what a great combination!

Some Herbal Ideas for Memorial Day

🌿 Plant rosemary near your kitchen door if you have a place for it. Rosemary has long been associated with remembrance, and it’s also one of the most useful kitchen and wellness herbs we can grow.

🌿 Make the herbal tea blend I'm sharing with you below and just enjoy a moment.

🌿 Diffuse something grounding and peaceful, such as cedarwood, frankincense, lavender, pine, black spruce, sweet orange, or a combination. (All of these go well together.)

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Herbal Remembrance Tea Blend

The herbs in the blend below are simple and easy to find. Although these aren't heavily medicinal, they are all supportive of the nervous system and rosemary specifically, is helpful for cognitive health. Used over time, as a tonic, is a wonderful way to support your nervous system.

Ingredients:

2 parts lemon balm (Melissa officinalis)

1 part rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis syn. Salvia rosmarinus)

1 part spearmint or peppermint (Mentha spp)

1 part rose petals (Rosa spp)

1/2 part orange peel (Citrus sinensis)

Directions:

Mix the dried herbs together in a bowl.

To make your tea, use 2 tsp of the herbs and pour just boiled water over the top. I like using a 10 ounce mug, but you can adjust for what you have. If you like honey, sweeten to taste!

This blend tastes a little minty with the herbaceous and lemony tones of rosemary and lemon balm. It's a peaceful blend. Enjoy!

Happy Memorial Day!

Hugs, Health, and Herbs,

Heidi

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