Not Just Another Memorial Day

For many people, Memorial Day is just a day for family gatherings or camping, or maybe a free day to catch up with yard work. Some people make the rounds of area cemeteries where loved ones have been laid to rest. Others may attend a special Memorial Day Observance to remember all US military members who have fallen in battle.

I've done all of these, at one time or another. This Memorial Day will be different for me, though, because my Dad's death and burial are still very recent.


When she was presented with the American flag at the end of Dad's graveside service on May 5th,
Mom thanked the officer.
 
Dad was an Army veteran, stationed mostly at Fort Benning, Georgia, during the Korean War. He was active in his local American Legion, even serving as commander at one time. He always participated in the Memorial Day service at the Fairbury Cemetery. Not too many years ago, we were privileged to attend a Memorial Day service in Fairbury.

Dad took part in Fairbury's Memorial Day Observance almost every year.
 

Even though Memorial Day is meant to honor those who lost their lives while serving in our country's military, it has also become a time to decorate the graves of all of our loved ones. I remember Bill's grandma referred to the day as "Decoration Day," as so many of her generation did, since most people took flowers and flags to the cemetery that day. 

The day after Dad's burial, his headstone was decorated with the casket spray. This Memorial Day, we will have the chance to decorate it all over again.


Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his faithful servants. 
Psalm 116:15

The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit. 
Psalm 34:18

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Three Weddings and Too Many Funerals

Image
It's been fifteen years since my middle daughter, Meagan, married Andy. Fifteen years of living and working in and around Gering, and five, almost six, children later, everyone they know would say that they are happily married. Their wedding was big and formal, and held in our church, like many weddings were then, at least here in Gering, with a sit-down dinner and dance afterward at the Civic Center. They both grew up here, and were well-known in the community, so many local people attended their wedding. In addition, they each had large extended families who were willing to travel quite a distance to be present for their big day. It was a memorable day, for sure. Fifteen years ago, our family was quite small. They both settled in to teaching, living in an old house on Andy's family's farm before building a house at the same location about ten years ago. Now, Andy continues to teach at Gering High School, while Meagan has been focusing her teaching skills on her own childr
Read more

Introducing Anna

Image
Anna Elizabeth Tyler was born almost three weeks before her due date, at 10:53 a.m. on Monday, October 30th, 2023, in Columbus, Ohio. She weighed 5.45 pounds, and was 17.25 inches long. Her entrance into this world was more dramatic than we had hoped, since she had to spend eleven days in the NICU to monitor her breathing. But, after the initial scare, she is nursing well and growing appropriately at home. Anna at just a few days old Anna is the only one of our eight grandchildren who has spent any time in NICU. At one month of age, she is still small, but she is finally outgrowing her preemie clothes and moving on to newborn sizes. It's hard to be more than 1200 miles away from family when they need help, but contemporary forms of communication make that much easier than it used to be. Nevertheless, Bill and I were glad to join our daughter, Erin, her husband, Reed, our grandson, Will, and baby Anna, for Thanksgiving. We got to see for ourselves how their whole family is thriving.
Read more

A Little Covid

Image
Like so many of you, I am tired of hearing about Covid-19. As I look back to 2020 and the intervening years since then, I can't help but think that our government, along with many others throughout the world, may have overreacted, insisting on too many, perhaps unnecessary, restrictions. However, the fact remains that I am currently quarantined at home because, for the first time, I officially have Covid. I would never have known I have Covid except that it morphed into a sinus infection. So, I dutifully made my way to Urgent Care because I knew I would need an antibiotic to get over it. And, of course, I had to have a test to rule out Covid and Influenza A. Except, even though my vaccinations are up-to-date, the test was positive for Covid. My Covid symptoms have been minimal, probably because I’ve been vaccinated: some fatigue, some sneezing, and a headache that won't quit. Initially, I passed off those symptoms as my normal allergy symptoms, aggravated by the windy condition
Read more