With Gratitude

Blessings to you on Memorial Day.
And to all whose loved ones
died defending our freedoms,
THANK YOU!

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Happy Fourth!

On this 150th anniversary of Gettysburg, this incredible hymn that was written during the Civil War seems even more appropriate for this 4th of July, especially this verse:

He has sounded forth the trumpet that shall never call retreat;
He is sifting out the hearts of men before His judgment seat;
Oh, be swift, my soul, to answer Him! be jubilant, my feet;
Our God is marching on.

He IS marching on, even when we may not see Him. May our souls be swift to answer Him!



For the eyes of the Lord range throughout the earth to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to him. (2 Chronicles 16:9)

Blessings to you on this Fourth of July!


Fr

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Memorial Day

O beautiful for heroes proved
In liberating strife
Who more than self their country loved
And mercy more than life!



May we never forget.

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Hail to Our First Chief

Happy Presidents Day!

Although referred to in the plural, primarily because Abraham Lincoln's birthday was also in February (February 12), Presidents Day is celebrated the third Monday in February to honor our first President, George Washington, who was born on February 22.

If you would like to learn more about this man who is called the father of our country, here are links to my reviews of a couple of books about him, Life of Washington by Anna C. Reed, a peek into his life and faith, and Washington's Lady by Nancy Moser, a wonderful book that is fiction but contains many historical details about both Martha and George Washington.

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Thank You, Veterans!

Veterans Day 11.11.11

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Freedom!

I love the 4th of July. I inherited my love of all things patriotic from my dad, who always hung the flag and played our record full of wonderful old patriotic songs every year on Independence Day. And also from my maternal grandfather, who was an attorney in a small town and had a flagpole in his yard. What a privilege as a grandchild to be old enough to be entrusted with hanging the flag in the morning or bringing it in and folding it in the evening, always in the traditional triangular fold.

But as much as my heart quickens when I hear The Stars and Stripes Forever or the Armed Forces Medley, and as thankful as I am to live in the USA, and as much as I appreciate and honor the sacrifices made by those who have given their lives in service to our country as well as those who still serve today, my hope is not in the freedoms delineated in the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence.

For there is a freedom that far exceeds that which any government can bestow. In fact, there are folks who live in countries ruled by brutal dictators who know this freedom and are actually freer than those here in the USA who refuse to accept this freedom. I speak, of course, of the freedom found in Christ.

As we celebrate today, may we not forget the Source of true freedom.

If the Son shall make you free,
you shall be free indeed.
John 8:36

It is for freedom that Christ has set us free.
Stand firm then, and do not let yourselves
be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.
Galatians 5:1

This has absolutely become one of my favorite songs for any patriotic holiday.

Let freedom ring down through the ages
from a hill called Calvary
Let freedom ring wherever hearts know pain
Let freedom echo through the lonely streets
where prisons have no key
You can be free and you can sing
Let freedom ring

Have a wonderful 4th of July!

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Flashback Friday - A Salute to Our Veterans

Yesterday was Veteran's Day, so this is a good opportunity to reflect on the veterans we knew and loved in our early years.

Were/Are either of your parents or other family members active military personnel or veterans? What branch? When did they serve; was it during wartime or peacetime? Did they share much about their experiences with you or others? When you were growing up, was the USA (or your country, for those outside the US) involved in a war? What do you remember about it and how did it impact you? Are you, your spouse, or any of your children veterans?

My daddy was a Navy Seabee in World War II. A year or so (I think) into his service, they sent him to The University of Texas for officer training and a degree in mechanical engineering. The war ended near the end of his college days, so he never had to go back. Because of the Navy, he was the only one in his family to attend college. They were poor sharecropper farmers who never could have afforded it. And while he was at UT, he met my mom and they married when he graduated. So his service had quite an impact on me. . .my very existence!

He didn't talk a lot about his days in the service. Part of that, I've come to realize is because he felt his experience was so minor compared to his brother's. My uncle was in the Army, if I remember correctly, and he received several medals, including a Purple Heart. He didn't talk much about that either, and I never knew about the medals until they were displayed in a shadowbox at his funeral.

One thing I would love to ask my dad now that I've visited a number of battleships with my man and my boy is how he managed on those ships. He was 6' 4" and those old ships had lots of low ceilings and short cots! I'm sure he bumped his head quite a bit!

I was in early elementary school during the VietNam War. I vaguely remember my family looking in the newspaper to see if my brother's number had been called up and he would be drafted. Other than that, I remember all the protests that were shown on the news. And the song Billy, Don't be a Hero.

My FIL was in the Air Force for a couple of years after he graduated from A&M in the early 1950's, but it was the tail end of the Korean War and he was only stationed in Colorado and California.

No other members of my extended family or my man's family have served. Nevertheless, I am so very thankful for those who have served our country, both in peace and wartime, to protect our freedoms.


What about you? Share your memories and link up here!

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Long May She Wave

It's Flag Day.

On June 14, 1777, the Continental Congress adopted the Stars and Stripes as the flag of the new United States of America. Sporadic celebrations occurred throughout the years, and on May 30, 1916 Flag Day was officially established by Proclamation by President Woodrow Wilson. On August 3, 1949, President Harry Truman signed an Act of Congress designating June 14 of each year as Flag Day. (Source: www.usaflag.org)

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In Remembrance

FREEDOM ISN'T FREE
by Kelly Strong

I watched the flag pass by one day.
It fluttered in the breeze.
A young Marine saluted it,
and then he stood at ease.
I looked at him in uniform
So young, so tall, so proud,
He'd stand out in any crowd.
I thought how many men like him
Had fallen through the years.
How many died on foreign soil?
How many mothers' tears?
How many pilots' planes shot down?
How many died at sea?
How many foxholes were soldiers' graves?
No, freedom isn't free.

I heard the sound of TAPS one night,
When everything was still
I listened to the bugler play
And felt a sudden chill.
I wondered just how many times
That TAPS had meant "Amen,"
When a flag had draped a coffin
Of a brother or a friend.
I thought of all the children,
Of the mothers and the wives,
Of fathers, sons and husbands
With interrupted lives.
I thought about a graveyard
At the bottom of the sea
Of unmarked graves in Arlington.
No, freedom isn't free.

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God Bless Fort Hood

The LORD is close to the brokenhearted
and saves those who are crushed in spirit.
Psalm 34:18
Praying for God's comfort on the families just up the road at Ft. Hood as well as for comfort and safety for all those who serve our country so faithfully in the military.

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