I have pondered what to post in honor of this Memorial Day and everything I have come up with has fallen short of the mark. There are too many names. Too many people with someone dear, who will not be at the table this year. If I attempt to list even the individuals who have somehow touched me personally I fear I might miss someone, I am certain I would for over the years the list has grown larger and larger.
Although this post is also inadequate, and falls far short of my heart, it is simply the best I can do to actually speak that which is within my heart.
Although Memorial Day is a scared day set aside to honor our war dead, it is, at least for me, so very much more. Each name honored is more than that name, it is the mother and father, the siblings, the spouses, the children, it is the veterans who mourn and who suffer from PTSD and survivor guilt, wondering why they made it out and he didn't. In saying that it is so much more, I do not mean to say that it is for those still with us. Memorial Day is and ever will be a day set aside to honor our fallen. Words are simply inadequate at time like these, hopefully the heart of what I mean will somehow shine through.
The loss of a life is a high cost to pay, it removes the one loved from the presence of those who loved him, but there is so much more than that. It is in many ways indescribable, you either get it, or you don't. In order to get it you have to pay attention to the small things, open your heart to the scene behind the scene.
One of the most profound photos I have seen is simply a photo of a little boy, sitting on the beach, the waves are coming in and form the shape of a heart around him. A cute picture, anyone would see it as cute, but behind it is the story, of the young man who is the little boy's father, a young Infantryman, bright and brash with the most beautiful smile.....gone too soon.Lost in war.
And I recall a Christmas day, when I was browsing Facebook and noticed a comment from a deployed Infantryman...it was short and sweet...and some folks might have taken it as rude and improper. It simply said "f### christmas". But the story behind that was once again a story of sacrifice and loss, of a soldier who fell on that very Christmas.
During my own son's deployment I often posted prayers on a Facebook page I made called Honor to the Troops. A few months ago I was browsing some of the old posts and saw one of these prayers and a comment made on it. The beautiful lady who made that comment, agreeing with me in prayer for our sons, lost her son there.
And then there is the young medic, that I corresponded with. I was tasked to write a tribute for his friend, a friend he tried to save, and yet lost. He went out of his way to communicate as best he could who his friend was. To this day the face and story of his fallen friend are engraved upon my memory as is the anguish of the friend and medic who labored so hard to save him and yet was unable to do so.
And there is the young wife, who posted a tribute to her fallen Navy Seal husband, a powerful man, a fearsome warrior, and yet in the video you see him skipping down the street, dressed in a silly costume, holding the hands of his small son. A son who will not know his father's presence.
I could go on and on, I could fill this page over and over again with the cost behind the cost. I am certain many of you could add yours to mine and we could continue writing until the end of time and never capture fully the terrible cost that has been paid, is being paid and will be paid tomorrow.
Last year, on Veteran's Day, I walked into a local Wal-Mart and was handed a red poppy. I almost burst into tears. I felt the weight of it. In feeling that weight I wrote a small blog piece that comes as close as I can to describing that which I am attempting to describe here.
The link to that post is here if you would like to read it.
http://allisgrace.posthaven.com/the-great-and-heavy-weight-of-the-poppy
May God bless each and every one of you this Memorial Day, for those who "get it", may He grant you all peace and comfort. For those who don't may He grant you a measure of understanding.
To the Gold Stars, a special blessing always be upon you and yours. Words are inadequate and do not sufficiently portray the measure of love and respect I have for you. I wish with all my heart that you had been spared from having to pay the great and terrible price you paid. I hope in some small way, knowing that we honor and cherish the memory of your loved ones, and that we are attempting as best we can to understand the price paid, will give you some small comfort.
To the fallen, we shall not forget, we shall never forget, we shall speak your memory to all, we shall teach it to our children and our children's children. We shall support those you left behind, with love and mercy and grace and do all in our power to look after your brothers and sisters in arms. Go in peace.
""The brave die never, though they sleep in dust: Their courage nerves a thousand living men."
A photo album that contains most of the fallen who have in some way touched me personally.
https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.239979516034964.67375.209368255762757&type=3