On this Memorial Day, remember the fallen, the ones who gave everything for us, and remember the ones who have served and who are serving now, at home and far away.
Well, it’s Christmas, here at over a decade into the next millennium. A lot of stuff happened this year, good and bad, but for now we can have a brief time to think about the good things we’ve received, the good things we can give, and be with friends and family. For those of us who are Christians, it is a time to think about the gift God gave us, and even though the exact day isn’t recorded, it’s as good a time as any. Granted we should be thinking about it always, but at least at this time of year we really don’t have any excuse not to!
Those who have family, take this time to be with them, because the time with them may be shorter than you think. If you have lost loved ones, take time to remember them, remember the love you shared, and the good times, give their memory the gift of not being sad. Easier said than done, especially if the pain is fresh.
If you have a chance, give something to help those who need it, in whatever way they may need, in whatever way you can. Think about doing the same thing a few weeks from now, when few others are thinking of it. Give the world a gift by making your little bit of it better.
My great-grand-neice (great-great-neice? grand-grand-niece? ah heck, my brother’s great-granddaughter) Raya takin’ it easy in her Daddy’s lap…
“Oh, hey, just sittin’ here, chillin’ with my Dad while him and the other old folks are talking. What’s up with you?”
Well, I didn’t get to go to the Edwards family reunion this weekend. My flight was cancelled because of the storms between here and my destination in Knoxville. There were no combinations of alternate flights and driving that would get me to the reunion in a reasonable time, so I decided to cancel my plans. It all worked out okay, though. Even though the weather turned out less bad than forecast, it was still bad enough to cause a microburst in Bladensburg across the river. Never flown through one, and don’t really want to, if given the choice. High winds in downbursts make planes unhappy…
So, there’s always next year. Since I won’t be trying to save vacation for Japan next year, I’ll have a chance to go down to Tennessee early, and hang the weather.
This weekend I’m going to a reunion of my Aunt Mary’s family, her kids and grandkids and great-grandkids. Â Aunt Mary passed away many years ago, and I wish I had paid more attention to her, but when you’re a snot-nosed punk kid, you think old folks will be around forever. Â Then all of a sudden, you realize you’re not far from being “old folks” yourself, and you start to pay attention (often too late) to the ones around you that are left.
