Post Tribute To The Fallen
Scripture
Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.
~John 15:13, NIV
Quote
“Freedom is never free.”
~Ronald Reagan
My Thoughts
First a confession: June and I forgot about it being MEMORIAL DAY weekend and when we got to church and saw people dressed in red, white and blue it dawns on us that we for some reason thought it was next week. I did get to attend the annual MEMORIAL DAY service at the American Legion building on highway 31 in Decatur and I did get to see Jon-Erik Loney’s mom. I searched for a member of his family for years and then Joe David discovered that she attended this service every year. The first time I met her I gave her a gift card. She wanted to know why and I said “In appreciation of the sacrifice you and Jon-Erik have made.” She looked bewildered. The second year, I gave her the card and she said, “Why are you doing this?” I told her a little more; about attending Jon-Erik’s memorial service and what it meant to me. This year I did not have to tell her who I was; I walked up and she smiled. She said, “I have been looking for you, I didn’t think you were here.” “I was here but I had to stand some because of my back, but I didn’t miss a thing.” I assured her that I had not forgotten Jon-Erik. We had some sweet fellowship together; totally different from the first time I met her.
When I lay down to sleep last night, I couldn’t get Jon-Erik and others like him and his mom off my mind. I suppose all wars are bad in the sense of violence toward humanity, which in a sense means there is no good war, but there is no doubt in my mind that wars are necessary. You don’t want Sheriff Pucket to stop arresting criminals do you? The military is our international police force to ensure law and order. They make the world a safer place. In spite of all our flaws, America is still a beacon of freedom. We enjoy this unprecedented freedom because of folks like Jon-Erik Loney. Politicians do not keep up free; they are taking our freedoms one by one to line their own pockets.
The point of this blog is to stir our minds when it comes to befriending those who have made the ultimate sacrifice. My daddy and daddy in law served in WWII, both in Germany, both on the front line. June’s dad took part in the battle of the bulge where we came within a hair lash of losing the war. BUT they came home. I was one of four conceived after Daddy returned from the war. June’s dad made it home. Memorial Day is about those who didn’t make it home. There were seven mothers there yesterday and one dad. I had something for one but if I can get my mind to work, I will have something for all seven next year. Of course, I think I might have said the same thing last year but I am going to get my men’s bible study group to help me.
I want to tell you a story in closing: a young man was walking down the beach picking up star fish and tossing them back into the ocean. There were thousands of star fish lining the shore and one my one, he would toss them into the surf. A man walked up and tapped him on the shoulder, “Son, there are thousands of star fish in the sand that are dying because they have no way to get back in the water, but there are too many for you to make a difference.” The young man looked at him, smiled, reached down and took another star fish and threw it into the water, then looked at the man and said, “I made a difference for that one.” We have to stop making excuses and make a difference.
Extra
I will be 77 in August and I do not remember anything like this not even in the winter. We got two heavy rains this morning and all this moisture is coming from the Gulf of America. Everytime I look at the radar, I see a new system being formed. My little office building is on the verge of floating away. There is rain in the forecast every day through June 9. We have squash but I need a boat to get to it.