Memorial Day

“Amazing grace!  How sweet the sound.  That saved a wretch like me.  I once was lost, but now I’m found.  Was blind, but now I see.” – Amazing Grace, verse 1

Think about how many generations the song Amazing Grace has touched.  I remember my grandfather belting it out in a small country church when I was a little girl.  I remember my youth group singing it in high school, and I sang it yesterday, alongside people from ages five to ninety five, at my dear friend Jane’s Memorial Service.

How do you remember the loved ones no longer with us?  How do their teachings, sacrifices, values, and beliefs live on through you?  Today is a day to remember and share how their lives have changed yours.

My grandfather fought for our great nation in WWII.  When I was young, I remember once rummaging through a dresser drawer in his guest room. Moving aside some socks, I came across several brass shell casings he had saved from his combat days. They felt cold in my palm as I carried them into the living room.  When I uncurled my fingers and asked my Grandfather why he had them, he grew quiet, telling me only to put them back and stop “snooping around.” 

I was reminded about those bullets the other day when a decal in the rear window of a large SUV caught my eye.  I think I was surprised because I’ve been so conditioned to seeing names of colleges or “my kid is an honor student” stickers.  His simply read “COMBAT VETERAN”.

I’ll never know what it’s like to wear a United States military uniform, what it feels like to be deployed overseas, carry a weapon into combat, and put my life on the line.  But the driver of that SUV knew, first hand.  I tried to imagine what his life must have been like.  Picturing him fighting for strangers back home, I was humbled by his sacrifice.

“Through many dangers, toils and snares I have already come.  ‘Tis grace hath brought me safe thus far.  And grace will lead me home.” – Amazing Grace, verse 3

These lyrics likely have a much deeper meaning to the man behind the wheel of the SUV, and to the families of the combat veterans who never returned.  Their legacy lives on when we take the time to remember and share their stories.

The Power of Giving God Thanks Will Ignite Your Faith and Change Your World!

Thank You for Being a Part of the 3 O’Clock Wake Up Movement