Memorial Day

Sunday night we took the kids to the National Cemetary here in Maple Valley/Covington area. How lucky are we to have one? The kids tried to behave themselves, but something about long alley ways just begs for a good sprint. We wandered around looking at headstones. Alison wanted the names read for her. All of them. Heidi found a nice whirly and played with that for a while, until she discovered the bouquets of flowers which needed sniffing. We all dodged mammoth sized mosquitoes intent on carrying our bodies down to the swampy river below.

The grounds are well kept and lovely. The Spirit is so strong there. I feel it at other cemetaries, but not as intense as at National ones. I remember it from the one in Wyoming at the Battle of Little Bighorn. There is something sanctifying about the kind of service that may require giving up your life for another. We were wandering through the headstones of those who lived a good full life after their service. There was still something special there.

Places of dying should never be forgotten (and here I am talking about battlegrounds). They are a sad monument to the evil that surrounds us no matter what side you're on and a call for all of us to better ourselves and never make the same mistakes again. They speak of lives given and lives taken. They tell us that this life is not the end. It can't be; life would not be worth living if it was all about learning to love and then letting love fade into nothingness. Each person is someone's child, husband, father, wife, mother, not to mention that all of us are children of a Heavenly Father who is no respector of persons.

For the first time we wondered about the symbols on the headstones. Here is a good overview from the official website: http://www.cem.va.gov/cem/hm/hmemb.asp

Today we did our patriotic duty with a BBQ of steaks Dan's been marinading for 2 days (holy mmmmmmm) and melon and chocolate cake. Dan took the oldest two kids on a bike ride to the park. I took the youngest three on a Suburban ride to the aforementioned park. It was again evident that we truly never do anything fun. The kids went berzerk and screamed and frolicked and had a blast as they rotated between the pirate ship, the slides, and the swings. Good break from life today. Good enough that Sophie didn't shriek at me for ruining her childhood just so that I could have a good parenthood.