(I took this picture of the US Arizona Memorial several years ago)
Each Memorial Day I try to reflect on the sacrifices our men and women of the armed services have made for our great nation. I am not grateful enough, even on this special day of remembrance.
An armed services veteran is a neighbor of ours. Gene is fully retired and we see him almost everyday. He spends a lot of time in his garage/office - impeccably clean and very organized (reminds me of my dad's garage). He loves kids, dogs, and good folks. He keeps dog treats in the garage (all dogs in our neighborhood know this). One escape-artist black lab occasionally barks for Gene to come out of his house - sometimes late at night! Connor always seems to leave Gene's garage with some sort of treasure (e.g., National Geographic maps, radio controlled car (loaner), candy, $1 for ice cream, etc...). Gene is also friends with Trevor. To give you an idea of his humor, he ended a recent conversation with Trevor with the following exchange:
Gene: Trevor?
Trevor: Yes, Gene?
Gene: I'm glad you got a chance to see me today!
On Memorial Day morning Connor and I visited Gene in the morning to cite the pledge of allegiance as Gene raised his American Flag (he raises the flag every morning). Because it was Memorial Day, we planted additional smaller flags along the sidewalk to his front porch. Gene gave Connor one of these little flags - his first American Flag. Later that day, Connor, Trevor, Noelle, and I took some homemade ice cream to Gene and his wife.
I hope you all had a great Memorial Day Weekend.
God Bless America.
2 comments:
That is so great! You and your family are always so gracious and thoughtful. I always feel so indebted when I see someone in the armed forces. It's nice to see that you were able to do something special with someone who means so much to this country (not to mention Gene is a pretty cool cat anyway).
Great photo of the flag!
You are so inspiring. Thank you. :)
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