Remembering the Departed

With all the fuss given to an extra shopping day at Walmart, the true meaning of Memorial Day may have changed over the years. Today folks are eager to fire up the grill and invite family and friends to a backyard bar-b-que. It’s another three day holiday for workers, filled with fun and frivolity. A time to enjoy good company and lots of sunshine after a long, harsh winter.

But before the merriment begins, some families take time to honor their departed loved ones by placing flowers or a flag at the gravesites. Remembering the deceased is a nice tradition, but in our busy virtual world, it’s often difficult to maintain family rituals. This is especially true as older generations pass away, taking long established customs with them.    

Losing loved ones to natural causes or unexpected accidents is hard enough, but enduring the loss due to war must be nearly impossible. It’s not just Flanders Field in Belgium or the many other American cemeteries throughout various continents that carry the pall of death, it’s all those unknown sites where combat victims fell. I was taught never to walk on a grave, but I wonder how many unmarked resting places people have tread upon without realizing where they were stepping. 

Although soldiers who lie beneath the soil of distant countries and sailors lost during battles at sea may not have a local tombstone, they have a much more precious place than beneath cold granite or icy water. Their memories have safe haven in the hearts of the folks who loved them especially if they are listed as MIAs or POWs. 

On this Memorial Day, may God bless our volunteer military and keep them from harm’s way. And may those who sacrificed their lives in the service of their country find a peaceful home in heaven.