Saturday, May 29, 2010

REMEMBERING . . .


It's holiday weather here today, with the heat 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. I awoke to the silhoutte-gleam of sunshine across the room, a hopeful sign for all the activities and memorial 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, 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 servicepeople, 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 known only to the angels and remembered in the hearts of those who loved them.






Taps for remembrance:

9 comments:

  1. I have no words, Rachel ... but I do have chill bumps. Thank you for linking to my post for today.

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  2. well said...thank you for reminding me that this is Memorial Day weekend and not Indy 500 weekend. beautiful post.

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  3. Never, ever, ever let us forget. And Southern Lady -- "Taps" brought on goosebumps. Thank you.

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  4. Hello my friend. Thank you for your sweet comment on my post today. I did have some fun doing it for Beverly's Pink Saturday celebration. Your lovely post today could have been a part of the pink party with those lovely flowers.

    Your tribute story for memorial Day is so fitting. Of all the things we should be thankful for, it is our Armed Forces.

    My posts on Sunday and Monday are for the Memorial Day memory of those who fought for our freedom. Today was all about PINK. Smile.

    Enjoy the Memorial Day weekend.
    Hugs, Jeanne

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  5. Beautiful. It's important to remember that Memorial Day means more than fantastic prices on electronics.

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  6. Thank you for your beautiful and heartfelt words.
    Thank you also for remembering.
    Carolyn

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  7. Thank you, Racheld...I was presented with one of those folded flags..I have put it away with his uniform and have not seen it since the day Patricks burial. At least he did come home to me...four times to be exact. I am grateful! Once Korea and three times in Viet Nam. Each time he was on the front lines.
    I am thankful his name is not with so many of his buddies on that wall. Pat was never the same young man that went away to war in 1952 at 18 years old.

    Thank you for your comment Racheld..you always know what to say.
    Hugs and love,
    Mona

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  8. This post spoke to my soul this morning! You put into words what I was feeling in my heart. But, you always can. I'm so thankful for the priviledge of reading your heart daily. It blesses me every time!

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  9. My daughter's kindergarten classmate lost his dad last month; dad was on active duty in the mid-East.
    " A-- told me how his dad died. His dad could swim but he was in an airplane over the deep deep ocean and his airplane and another airplane crashed into each other."
    And thus, Memorial Day. RIP A--'s dad.

    Thanks for your post, Rachel.

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