I think we often forget that this is not a day to celebrate, but a day to remember, mourn, and honor those young people who have lost their lives in all the wars this nation has fought.
Below is a poem I found at BlogHer. Take a couple of minutes to read it and remember and honor those who never came home as well as those who left parts of themselves "over there."
LAMENTOur nation's history is creased with war.
The earth cries out with spilled lives,
And bleeds memories of those who once lived --
Our young men and women,
Innocent as new spring grasses,
Earnest, willing,
Devoted to their service, their country.We sent these children to battle
To fight other mother's children,
To wade through the carnage and brutality
From which we tried to protect them as children.The same children whose skinned knees we bandaged
Are asked to kill or be killed in our name,
Asked to be heroic, to risk their lives,
To risk death
For us.
And others ask the same of their children,
The ones who will oppose our children.Oh, perished children of America,
We miss what you could have been,
The lives that could have been full.
You left wives, husbands, lovers, children, parents
behind you, mourning.Oh, today's dying service men and women,
Even as we read this, you are dying.
We almost cannot take it in --
All the suffering of war, the violence.
We are stricken by your courage, your ability to endure.
You do what we cannot.
You face what we cannot.Oh, beloved sons and daughters,
The memory of your joy haunts us.
We fend off the need to understand how you died in detail,
As though it would bring us peace to know,
But it just adds to our grief.
Without you, there is no lack of grief.
Grief is a sea we drown in,
It is a breath we can never catch,
It surrounds us at the sound of your names.You laid down your life for
The combatant next to you,
For us,
For your country.
And we remember you.
We cannot stop remembering you,
Your memory is engraved in our souls.We want to make sure that you died for something important and right.
It is our obligation to lose you for no less than that.They handed us a flag when we buried you.
It was done with dignity.
We held it, numb with pain at your loss.
Later we took it out of its box and pressed our cheeks to it,
Remembering you.
Looking for some hint of you, some sign.
But it did not bring you home.Oh, our scarred children, spouses, brothers, sisters --
You who left only a part of yourself dead "over there",
Who come back hurt in the soul.
War killed your innocence, and you cannot get it back.
You walk the house at night, checking the perimeter.
You have memories that haunt you, of the dead, the dying,
Of the fear that was your life 24/7.
You stay armed and ready.
You never sit with your back to the door.
In a corner of your soul, the war just won't stop.
We mourn with you what you have lost.
We welcome you home, knowing who you are, loving you.
Remembering for you when you cannot remember yourself,
What it was like before the war took part of you away.Oh brothers, sisters, husbands, wives -
The battles have names - the cities names mark the progress of war -
Antietem, Pearl Harbor, Gettysburg, Atlanta,
Wounded Knee, Gallipoli, Little Big Horn,
Verdun, Khanjahar, Normandy Invasion, Rumaila,
Battle of the Bulge, Inchon, Gulf of Tonkin,
Baghdad.Your deaths spill dreams for a future with you
Into foreign soils.
We wanted family picnics and reunions,
Quiet nights and celebrations.
We dreamed of holding you,
Gathering at your 80th birthday party.
We wanted you to be a parent, an elder,
A member of the community, the tribe.Oh Lord,
Be with us as we mourn.
This day is not a day for the hearkening of noble sentiment.
It is for remembering, for feeling the cost of war.
It is for knowing the truth -
That any loss is painful, even loss for a cause.
It is for comforting those who have lost,
The mothers, fathers, sisters, brothers,
Lovers, spouses, children.This is the day we take silence.
This is the day we let ourselves feel
That every loss diminishes what we could have become,
Even if it was lost in a good cause.
This is the day we feel the other side of grief's coin --
The part that hurts and remembers.This is the day we feel the price of vigilance.
This is the day we remember
Not to put our beloved ones in harm's way,
Unless we are willing to have this day.
This memory.
This moment
When who they were, and what they could have been,
Shimmers before our eyes, a wish that will never come true.This is a hard day, Lord.
It aches inside.
May all those who recall sacrifices on this day
Find comfort.And, may the day come when the losses of war
Are only a distant memory,
And our dream of peace comes true.
~~ Contributing Editor, Mata H.
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On 05/31/2010, Teresa said ...
Reading over your last few blogs. I love what you have done with the living room, and its funny - but blue was always my design color, and recently I have been migrating to reds as well. I wonder if it is because there is more out there in red now? I can so relate to your blog about all the hate, or what I call discontent, in the world. So much going on that we have no control over, and even if we did, I would not know what to do. My husband was out of town this weekend, and I spent much of it at home alone with my sewing. I love to have all the "noise" off in the house, and have some time of quiet and escape from what is going on outside my front door. I am reminded of the verse, "Be still, and know that I am God."
On 05/31/2010, KAI said ...
What truth is in that poem! It made me cry, and it also made me even MORE grateful that my grandson got home safe & sound. So many children, mothers, fathers, and friends didn't. Blessings to each and every person who served, or is still serving, on our behalf. Thank you! And thank YOU, Susan, for posting the poem!
On 05/31/2010, Ruth said ...
Thank you for sharing the lovely poem. Its words are vey moving.
Ruth
On 05/31/2010, Barbara Anne said ...
Amen and amen.
Hugs...
On 05/31/2010, Pat said ...
Thank you for sharing this beautiful poem. I'm so thankful for our freedoms and am reminded not to take them for granted.
On 05/31/2010, mom2fur said ...
We actually had one town decide not to do a parade because it was too much 'celebration.' I'm not sure I agree with that. I think we are celebrating how great this country is and how lucky we are. As long as we stop to give some thought and/or prayer to the memory of those who's lives were taken for our freedom, celebration has it's place today.
Blessings to all of your family members who have served us.
On 06/01/2010, Lavender Dreamer said ...
I appreciated this post. I use that phrase...consider the cost..the sacrifice paid for our freedom! I really felt strongly after reading New York by E. Rutherfurd. Enjoy your week, sweet friend! ♥
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