OldTroubador's blog post

Summer’s here and the time is right to be dancin’ in the streets!!!
Yes, it’ summer. Barbeques and swim parties. Camping and trips to the mountains, lakes, and beaches. Family vacations and sunburn and fire ant bites. Children home all the time, underfoot and squabbling. Baseball, hot dogs, and deep dish apple pie.
This weekend marks the unofficial beginning of summer, but before we begin these pursuits, we should take the time to reflect.
In a letter to King George III of England, Thomas Jefferson wrote that mankind is endowed with “certain unalienable rights that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.” Approximately 160 years later, in a radio address to the nation, President Franklin D. Roosevelt stated, “The only thing we have to fear is fear itself.” And as we pursue our happiness this summer, and all year long, we need not fear losing our lives nor our liberties to an enemy, foreign or domestic, for the men and women of our military stand at the ready.
Since the first colonists landed on the shores of the New World, militias were organized to defend the settlements. During the American Revolution, these militia were organized into a standing army; during this period, the American Navy and Marine Corps were also formed. Since that time, our armed forces have defended this land from invasion by foreign powers. They fought brother against brother, father against son, each side convinced of their own righteousness. Our men and women in uniform have been sent overseas to defeat those who would usurp our freedoms and the freedoms of our allies and friends. Unfortunately, not all who were sent to fight were able to return to their former lives.
So this weekend is a time for us to reflect upon the freedoms we enjoy. And while doing so, we need to honor those who have fallen in defense of this country and its ideals. Whether a draftee or a volunteer, each man and woman who donned a uniform did so with the knowledge that they might not return. While most were able to come home, many did not. Their sacred remains are buried in nearly every cemetery in these United States. Tens of thousands of others are buried in cemeteries in Europe and throughout the Pacific Ocean.
Every one of those white crosses represents someone’s son or daughter, brother or sister, father or mother, husband or wife. Every one of those white crosses is a neighbor, a co-worker, a friend. Every one of those white crosses is an American who sacrificed their future so that ours may continue. Every one of those white crosses is a stone in the foundation that our country is built upon.
Then there are those who perished and do not have a white cross or marble headstone. They only marker they have is an unhealing wound in the hearts of their loved ones. There is no place to plant a flag. TAPS was never sounded over their final resting place. Their sacrifice is even greater for none but a few shall know of their passing.
So this weekend, as you enjoy your cook outs, light your fireworks, travel on your vacation, take some time to pause and reflect on how it is that you are able to travel, assemble, read, and pray with the freedom that you have. Take a moment to say Thank You to those that have served. And pause in silent respect for those who gave all.
May the Lord bless you and keep you. May the Lord shine his face upon you and be gracious unto you. May the Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace. Amen.