I Remember You

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I'm weighing in late on this Memorial Day.  This day to remember and honor the brave men and women who made the ultimate sacrifice to guarantee freedom in this (still) great nation.  This day to also remember and honor all those who've passed this way before us and left their imprint on us.

Today, I'd like to combine the honoring and the counting of blessings by remembering a few of those, who even though they're gone, continue to influence me.

81.  Pappy....my grandfather, who taught me to laugh no matter how tough life gets and to appreciate antiques.

82.  Nana....my grandmother, who taught me to take the time to appreciate this wonderful world we live in, all I know about plants, and how to cook the old-fashioned, homestyle (but not necessarily healthy) way.

83.  Dad....who taught me to always be nice, always be honest, always do my best and that if I want something to work for it. .

84.  Uncle Cake....who taught me what reliability and gentleness look like and that there are always two sides to a story.

85.  Mom Artis....my mother-in-law, who accepted me unconditionally as one of her own and was my champion and rock in the early days of marriage.

Saturday Share - Memorial Day Edition

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Welcome to Memorial Day weekend...the kick-off, in most folks' minds, to summer.  This long weeken d has become an excuse to take a 3-day holiday, fire up the grill, and imbibe a little with friends, but when it was founded it meant so much more.  It still does for some, including this household.  Click here to read about the history of Memorial Day.

We are not among the "partiers" this weekend.  Today Tim will be working on the church remodel and I will be doing some much needed laundry, cleaning up the kitchen, and making taco salad for the church dinner tonight as well as some kind of dessert for a gathering of church leaders tomorrow.  Monday we will throw something on the grill for us and my mom and her husband and if the weather cooperates do some yard work or maybe uncover the pool....even though it is currently too cold to use it.

Next week will be a busy one for me and I may be missing in action for much of it as far as blogging goes.  The school district I drive a bus in only has classes Tuesday through Thursday, but the private school I also drive for has early dismissals all next week including Friday so I won't be home much through the day.  The following week, the public school kids have to go for 2 hours on Monday and then they are done (is that not the stupidest thing??).  The private school kids go until that Wednesday, but have early dismissals each day.  My summer will officially begin at about 12:30 pm on June 5.

Here are a couple of links I found this week that you might enjoy:

If you haven't discovered Susan Branch yet, do yourself a favor and check out her site.  She is a blogger, illustrator, writer.....and a whole lot more.  Her site is so much fun and I could spend hours there.

Basset Hound Savvy promises to help you overcome the behavioral issues that Bassets are prone to.  My big boy is only part Basset, but I'm thinking this will be the next book I order.

Blogging friend, Rebecca Jo, dishes up her thoughts about the books she reads on My Companions.

Are you a blogger stuck on what to write about this summer?  Heidi Cohen dishes up 50 prompts.  Bless you, Heidi!

Well, duty calls....okay, it's really dirty dishes, but the point remains that I need to get moving.  You all have a blessed weekend and don't forget to offer up a prayer of thanks for the ones who made it possible!

Freedom Isn't Free

I watched the flag pass by one day.

It fluttered in the breeze.

A young Marine saluted it,

And then he stood at ease.

I looked at him in uniform

So young, so tall, so proud,

With hair cut square and eyes alert

He'd stand out in any crowd.

I thought how many men like him

Had fallen through the years.

How many died on foreign soil?

How many mothers' tears?

How many pilots' planes shot down?

How many died at sea?

How many foxholes were soldiers' graves?

No, freedom isn't free.

I heard the sound of taps one night,

When everything was still

I listened to the bugler play

And felt a sudden chill.

I wondered just how many times

That taps had meant "Amen,"

When a flag had draped a coffin

Of a brother or a friend.

I thought of all the children,

Of the mothers and the wives,

Of fathers, sons and husbands

With interrupted lives.

I thought about a graveyard

At the bottom of the sea

Of unmarked graves in Arlington.

No, freedom isn't free.

~ Kelly Strong

306.  Soldiers with their warrior hearts who answer duty's call.


307.  Mothers, fathers, wives, sons and daughters who bravely
let their young men go to serve a higher cause.


308.  The old man selling poppies outside the grocery store.


309.  The VFW, the AmVets, the National Guard...and all the other
organizations that make sure every veteran's grave bears a flag.


310.  The men and women who gather for Memorial Day services
and still shed tears for ones who fell 40, 50....60 years ago.


311.  Safe travel for children away from home.


312.  A relaxed, easy weekend at home with the husband.


313.  Rain that held off long enough for a garden to be planted.


314.  God's awesome power displayed in a thunder storm.


315.   Contentment.


316.  Garage sale-ing and shopping with Mom.


317.  Cuddling a 70 lb. dog who is afraid of thunder.


318.  Sunshine after the rain.


319.  Fragrant, fresh-tilled earth beneath my feet and in my hands
as I work in the garden and flower beds.


320.  The farmer's market:  wooden bowls smooth and solid under my
fingers; fresh baked goods; sweet raspberry wine; the earthy smell
of herbs sold by the flat; brightly painted crafts; and foods that 
cause the mouth to water.