The "those" of Memoriall Day....

The "those" of Memorial Day...

The chaplain spoke of remembering those who have given their lives for the freedoms which we enjoy in this country and other countries....those who have fought the evils around the world that good might prevail for a time...the "those"... Nameless millions to many, but family members to others...

We see poignant pictures of raising the flag on battle torn hills or beaches, the slain covering the grounds in various wars...visit battle sites with historical plaques explaining the wars fought there...listen to patriotic music, salute the caskets as they pass by...we may wear MIA bracelets, we may even have a folded flag amongst our earthly treasures or memories of taps or the twenty-one gun salute...the "those" in our lives....

I had classmates who fought in the Vietnam war, some came home while others didn't, two brothers in law who were there...my husband was Army reserve and National Guard who did not go to the fighting fields...but he carried on with pride his patriotism to our nation...my father was born in between wars and tried to join, but couldn't ...my grandsons, as Boy Scouts, yearly placed flags on headstones of veterans...the "those" at the cemetery ....

When following our family tree, we found Revolutionary war participants, who fought for freedom for to new nation...others who fled foreign dictatorships to freedom offered in this country...the "those"  long dead, but remembered...

Thank YOU, God for memorials....You have been there throughout the ages, guiding , comforting, strengthening...You have upheld, encouraged...the "those" we remember...and continue to do that for those who live with the memories...

As a father has compassion on his children, so the Lord has compassion on those who fear him;
for he knows how we are formed, he remembers that we are dust.
The life of mortals is like grass, they flourish like a flower of the field; the wind blows over it and it is gone, and its place remembers it no more.
But from everlasting to everlasting the Lord’s love is with those who fear him, and his righteousness with their children’s children —
Psalm 103:13-17