It's
not quite holiday weather here today, with the warmth of the sun and bright
skies and the snap of flags in the sunshine, the smoke of a thousand backyard
grills raising delicious scents into the Spring air. There were no sunbeams to wake to, but the damp skies will not dim the services and celebrations of this long Spring weekend.
But
weather hasn't much to do with the feelings that surround this special day,
this day of remembrance and honoring and taking stock of our nation's
blessings. The placing of wreaths, the little flags stuck into the earth of
countless graves, the floral tributes, the handful of limp posies clutch-wilted
in a child's hand, the tears of remembrance---those will quietly and reverently
go on even as the scent of charcoal drifts up and the promised rain comes down.
I
have a deep-imprinted vignette in my memory-collection, of sitting there in a
hot scratchy dress several years ago, to see my dear Mother-in-Law receive the
folded flag "With the thanks of a Grateful Nation." And so we
remember GrandDaddy, in all his twenty-something years of service, and I keep a
secret, heartfelt gleam of pride for our other servicemen and women, and those
we'll never know of as we sleep safely on their watch.
And
just looking at the flowers in the picture above, the two tall, stalwart reds
and the smaller, just-as-strong pink, I think of all our sisters and daughters
in uniform, especially the one determined young woman who left for training just this past Monday with the tiny tremolo of our long-ago bedtime “Twinkle, Twinkle Little
Star” echoing in my heart. I gratefully salute the strong, brave women
who step up to the mark, who serve standing proud beside the men whose strength
and bravery have stood true for centuries.
We
feel a surge of gratitude, of pride, of thankful praise for all the ones who
take our well-being and our freedom so seriously that they live and die for it,
and us.
And
so I say "Thank you," to each and every one, and give a prayer of
thanks for all of our service-people, past and present---those standing proud
in uniform today, those who have served, no matter what the term, those who
have retired from their service, but remain ever soldiers, those lying beneath
the brave small flags, and those in unsung graves around the world, known only
to the angels and remembered in the hearts of those who loved them.
114 YEARS AND SIX DAYS
114 YEARS AND SIX DAYS
So kind of you to remember. I wonder if this generation knows the history.
ReplyDeleteGreat post, my friend. :) I am so very thankful to all of those people, too. Our current society just doesn't have a clue of what actually took place, and still is taking place, for us. It's very sad. These are the real heroes of our lives. And as you said, many of them went unknown to us and could never have their proper "thank you". We are forever grateful.
ReplyDeleteBEST MOST TOUCHING YOU HAVE EVER WRITTEN. THE HEART STRINGS ARE LONG AND DEEP. FREEDOM IS NOT CHEAP.
ReplyDeleteJust Beautiful as always Dear Rachel! Good luck to that just departed Little Star and may she twinkle safely for many nights long after we're gone.
ReplyDelete