Memorial Day. Not a day for picnics, and great sales, and changing to our summer wardrobe, but rather a day to remember. Remember the cost in human lives for the freedoms we enjoy. Remember the daily struggle for those families whose sons or daughters paid the ultimate price to keep our freedoms. Remember the thousands, if not millions, of children who said goodby to their parent and never saw them again, or who lost them before they ever had the chance to meet them. Remember the men and women who left home in peak health, and returned missing limbs, eyes, ears, or mental stability. Realize the cost these men and women have paid, so that you can have picnics and celebrate with family and friends in peace.
There is a lot of military service in my background. My grandfather was a “Doughboy” in WWI. My father served in the Army in WWII. My first husband and my older daughter were both Marines. My son serves in the Air Force, and my son-in-law is retired from the Air Force. I have one grandson serving in the Coast Guard and another in the Air Force. I’m sure there are hundreds of folks out there with a similar story.
Memorial Day is special for me to both remember those who gave their all, and pray for those still out there away from home and family protecting our way of life. For the men and women who left home as raw kids and returned as hardened fighting machines, and don’t quite fit in to the civilian world any more. The Oath of Office they have taken has no expiration date.
My family has been extremely blessed. With all of the military service past and present, no one has been badly injured or killed. I am very aware that this is not the normal situation in military families, and I pray daily that those I love are protected as they serve. I am also keenly aware of the gut-wrenching losses endured by the families of friends who have not been so fortunate.
So before you light the grill, go shopping, or worry about how many people you can safely have at this year’s picnic, take a moment to reflect on why this holiday was started.
Remember. Mourn. Pray for the families who have lost any reason to celebrate, that they may receive from our precious Lord comfort and the strength to face each day missing a part of themselves.
Quilt photographs are from various shops, chosen for the colors and sentiments behind them. See you Thursday, as the North American Shop Hop continues west.