Memorial Day Thoughts

 

This coming weekend, the nation will be celebrating Memorial Day.  Years ago, it was always on May 30, but the Congress in 1971 changed the observance of the holiday to the last Monday in May.  This has resulted in a three-day weekend for many of us who work for a living, and has changed how we celebrate the day.

Yes, we still honor those who are deceased, especially veterans of our nation’s military services.  However, we also take short trips, have cook-outs, go to the lake, and do many things having nothing to do with the observance of the day itself.  In fact, Memorial Day has become known as the unofficial start to summer, since many schools have dismissed for the summer by the time the holiday rolls around, and it’s usually warmer and more summer-like by that time as well.  Meteorological summer is also usually marked as the months of June, July, and August, lending more credence to the idea of the beginning of summer.

This year, we will do what we have done for many years.  We will visit the cemeteries where both the Planks and the Vincents are interred, and we will gather as an extended family at one of our homes…this year at our son’s place just outside of Wichita.  We’ll have a cookout, bring side dishes, play games, visit, watch the kids, and generally enjoy the day.  I’ll probably make my “famous” potato salad.  The wife will probably make her “famous” chocolate sheet cake.  We may bring the homemade ice cream freezer filled with frozen goodness, and might even have a couple of surprise items for the family to dine on.

I can recall Memorial Days when it was so cold one had to have a coat on to be outside.  Others have been rainy, muddy messes.  Some have been hotter than the norm.  And a few have been, as the baby bear said long ago, “Just right.”  I don’t know what the upcoming day holds, although the long range weather forecast isn’t bad right now.  But regardless, we’ll gather as a family, reminisce, and celebrate.

As one with a Mennonite background, I don’t have many among my ancestors who have served in the military.  Mennonites, as you may or may not know, generally espouse pacifism along with service to others through programs like the VISTA program, Americorps, and other similar national service programs.

I do have some who have served as combat medics and in other non-combatant ways, and my wife has many relatives who have served in the military in several capacities.  We honor them all as they have devoted a good chunk of their younger lives in service to the nation, regardless of their branch of service or when and where they served.

We need a military that is ready and able to defend us.  We might have a discussion about just what it means for us to be ready and able, and how much that should cost, but the fact is that from time immemorial, nations have had to raise some kind of military in order to assure a measure of peace and tranquility for themselves.  Equally so, nations and their more local governments need police agencies of some kind to maintain the public order and enforce the law.  Again, we might have a discussion on just what that agency looks like, how it functions, and what it costs, but the fact is we need police departments of all kinds to maintain some kind of societal order and peace.

So, while Memorial Day is often a time for relaxation, family gatherings, and the like, it is also a time for sober reflection…reflection on those who have offered…and in many cases given…the ultimate sacrifice for this nation, this society…for you.  This weekend, do your part.  Just stop for a few minutes and reflect on the true meaning of the holiday.  May your weekend be one that is relaxing, fulfilling, and peaceful…because of those who have and continue to serve this society, watching out for our good.

Backyard Thoughts

 

As I often have done this spring and prior years, I've taken advantage of the nice weather and our back patio, sitting in a comfortable chair, watching the goings-on in Pawnee Prairie Park, which is immediately behind us.  We are on the back side of the park, but there is a developed trail about fifty feet behind our back fence that is used regularly and often.  Additionally, there is an entrance to the park about a hundred feet away that is used a lot by the neighborhood.  As I sit either on my lawn chair or on the glider swing, I notice the people  who pass by.  Young, old, men, women, kids, dogs, the occasional skateboard, bicycle, and even folks on horses go by.  Some are walking.  Others are running, jogging, bicycling, skating, and in even one case awhile back, unicycling.

Some are keeping fit.  Others are out to exercise their dogs.  Still others make it a family outing with dogs, kids, and the adults.  Some younger people are running, I think, because they are in some kind of high school or college sport and are keeping in shape.  It's a kind of eclectic bunch that go by our back yard...all sizes, weights, ages, genders, ethnicities, and whatever else might describe a very diverse group of humans.  Generally, they follow the rule of no motorized vehicles in the park, although sometimes the occasional moped or gasoline-powered bike makes it in.

As I watch people go by, I often wonder, especially when I see a young couple, a couple with a young family, or perhaps teens, what their older days will be like.  Many of those people will see the 2080's, 2090's, and even the turn of the century, depending on longevity and a host of other factors too numerous to mention here.  I see a good number of these same young people looking at their phones as they walk, using earbuds of some kind as they exercise, and even some doing the old-fashioned thing of visiting and talking with each other.  And I have to wonder just what it will be like for them, just as I wondered in the 1960's just what it would be like in 2000, 2010, and beyond.

I'll not speculate here on what technology, medical advances, transportation advances, and the development of alternate energy sources might be.  And space travel?  Well, we just have no idea, really, about any of this stuff.  So much depends on the condition of the world society in general, and individual societies in particular.  A lot rests on global warming, or lack thereof.  And, of course, things such as pandemics, revolutions, and the continuing specter of nuclear annihilation cause us to give pause to speculating on the future.

I really wonder if the post-Christian era will persist, or perhaps morph into something more sinister.  Or perhaps anti-Christian and anti-religion feelings will moderate or perhaps the pendulum will begin to swing the other way.

These young people are going into a future that is totally unknown, unknowable, and precarious to say the least.  Of course, the same could be said for any era of the past; however, it seems to me that as fast as the world is moving...as quickly as information multiplies nowadays...as much as those in charge of things refuse to look at the long term and concentrate instead on looking good and prospering in the short run...it bothers me to think that these young people are going to be the ones who will have to cope with whatever we older folks  have laid the foundation for, yesterday and today.

If God gives me length of days, I'll be lucky to see 2040.  In many ways, I'm content to NOT live until 2100...to not see the long term effects of some of the disastrous decisions we as a society and a world have already made and are being carried out.  I think there is wisdom in the plan of God to cause an eventual end of years in the current creation.  But I am concerned for those who will go after us...especially my children, grand children, and others I know and love who are young enough to see many more decades of life.

You may think I'm being overly-pessimistic and am really down on life and the future.  I'm not.  There may well be a renaissance of sorts and a social and spiritual awakening either sooner or later.  It's happened before, and can well happen again.  I am, however, trying to be realistic as we continue to interact with our own kids and are also present to be some influence on our grand kids.  They need to know that the future may indeed be unicorns and bunnies.  But they also need to know that the future could hold some of the more ominous things that have plagued mankind for untold centuries.  And they won't be immune just because of technological and scientific advances and knowledge.

So I pray for peace, tranquility, and quietness of life, just as Paul the Apostle told Timothy.  “Pray this way for kings and all who are in authority so that we can live peaceful and quiet lives marked by godliness and dignity.”  In times of the Roman Empire, this statement by Paul to Timothy is all the more exceptional.  And it applies equally to us as we all live out the length of days given by our Creator, whether those be short or long.

Future Holdings

 

As I often have done this spring and prior years, I've taken advantage of the nice weather and our back patio, sitting in a comfortable chair, watching the goings-on in Pawnee Prairie Park, which is immediately behind us.  We are on the back side of the park, but there is a developed trail about fifty feet behind our back fence that is used regularly and often.  Additionally, there is an entrance to the park about a hundred feet away that is used a lot by the neighborhood.  As I sit either on my lawn chair or on the glider swing, I notice the people  who pass by.  Young, old, men, women, kids, dogs, the occasional skateboard, bicycle, and even folks on horses go by.  Some are walking.  Others are running, jogging, bicycling, skating, and in even one case awhile back, unicycling.

Some are keeping fit.  Others are out to exercise their dogs.  Still others make it a family outing with dogs, kids, and the adults.  Some younger people are running, I think, because they are in some kind of high school or college sport and are keeping in shape.  It's a kind of eclectic bunch that go by our back yard...all sizes, weights, ages, genders, ethnicities, and whatever else might describe a very diverse group of humans.  Generally, they follow the rule of no motorized vehicles in the park, although sometimes the occasional moped or gasoline-powered bike makes it in.

As I watch people go by, I often wonder, especially when I see a young couple, a couple with a young family, or perhaps teens, what their older days will be like.  Many of those people will see the 2080's, 2090's, and even the turn of the century, depending on longevity and a host of other factors too numerous to mention here.  I see a good number of these same young people looking at their phones as they walk, using earbuds of some kind as they exercise, and even some doing the old-fashioned thing of visiting and talking with each other.  And I have to wonder just what it will be like for them, just as I wondered in the 1960's just what it would be like in 2000, 2010, and beyond.

I'll not speculate here on what technology, medical advances, transportation advances, and the development of alternate energy sources might be.  And space travel?  Well, we just have no idea, really, about any of this stuff.  So much depends on the condition of the world society in general, and individual societies in particular.  A lot rests on global warming, or lack thereof.  And, of course, things such as pandemics, revolutions, and the continuing specter of nuclear annihilation cause us to give pause to speculating on the future.

I really wonder if the post-Christian era will persist, or perhaps morph into something more sinister.  Or perhaps anti-Christian and anti-religion feelings will moderate or perhaps the pendulum will begin to swing the other way.

These young people are going into a future that is totally unknown, unknowable, and precarious to say the least.  Of course, the same could be said for any era of the past; however, it seems to me that as fast as the world is moving...as quickly as information multiplies nowadays...as much as those in charge of things refuse to look at the long term and concentrate instead on looking good and prospering in the short run...it bothers me to think that these young people are going to be the ones who will have to cope with whatever we older folks  have laid the foundation for, yesterday and today.

If God gives me length of days, I'll be lucky to see 2040.  In many ways, I'm content to NOT live until 2100...to not see the long term effects of some of the disastrous decisions we as a society and a world have already made and are being carried out.  I think there is wisdom in the plan of God to cause an eventual end of years in the current creation.  But I am concerned for those who will go after us...especially my children, grand children, and others I know and love who are young enough to see many more decades of life.

You may think I'm being overly-pessimistic and am really down on life and the future.  I'm not.  There may well be a renaissance of sorts and a social and spiritual awakening either sooner or later.  It's happened before, and can well happen again.  I am, however, trying to be realistic as we continue to interact with our own kids and are also present to be some influence on our grand kids.  They need to know that the future may indeed be unicorns and bunnies.  But they also need to know that the future could hold some of the more ominous things that have plagued mankind for untold centuries.  And they won't be immune just because of technological and scientific advances and knowledge.

So I pray for peace, tranquility, and quietness of life, just as Paul the Apostle told Timothy.  “Pray this way for kings and all who are in authority so that we can live peaceful and quiet lives marked by godliness and dignity.”  In times of the Roman Empire, this statement by Paul to Timothy is all the more exceptional.  And it applies equally to us as we all live out the length of days given by our Creator, whether those be short or long.

May God bless you this week as you search out His will for you.

The Overcomer

 

Good morning.  I’m glad you clicked on this post, and trust your day is going well.

 One of my current friends is a childhood friend from long ago.  Rachel (not her real name) and I went to school together all throughout our elementary and high school years.  She always did just a little better I did in school, constantly out-grading me by just a few points here and there…enough so that I always was in a sort of friendly competition with her…and seldom won.  I also knew her family…her mom and dad, older sister and younger brother.  The whole family was intelligent, hard-working, and successful in life.

 I lost track of Rachel shortly after high school, but maintained a relationship with her mom and dad, as they stayed in Harper, my hometown, and were there when we moved back there some years ago as a young family.  I knew Rachel had become an academic and was in a successful career in that field.  I didn’t know much of anything of her older sister or younger brother, however.

 A few years ago, I heard that her mother had passed away.  Her dad had passed some years before, and her mother carried on for several years on her own.  I found out when the memorial service was to be held, and went to the service to pay my respects to the family.  An ulterior motive was to try to reconnect with Rachel and if possible her sis and brother.

 I arrived a few minutes before services, explained my relationship with the family, and asked if I could go into the area where the family was.  There, I immediately noticed a redhead using a walker, talking to someone.  I can’t mistake that hair…it was Rachel.  I re-introduced myself, we visited a few minutes, exchanged contact information, and attended the memorial service.  I also was privileged to visit with her brother, but didn’t see or visit with her sister.

 Well, to shorten this story a bit, sometime after the service, we reconnected via email…she doesn’t do social media.  My wife and I also visited her and her hubby in Tulsa, and they came to the memorial service of one of our mutual classmates sometime later.  We exchange emails every couple of months or so, or if something unusual happens, we will visit via email about that.  I’ve learned a lot about Rachel’s life and the stories of her family as well in these encounters.

 Her older sister is terminally ill with cancer.  Her younger brother died a short while ago after a stroke and a fall…possibly due to a brain malfunction of some kind.  He had surgery for brain cancer some years ago.  Whether that had anything to do with the fall and stroke, I don’t know.  Her sister has only days to weeks to live.

 Rachel has been battling M.S. for well over 20 years now, and is less mobile than she was at her mom’s memorial service a few years ago.  She had scarlet fever as a child, and has had other maladies hit her during her lifetime.  Her brother and sister were on opposite coasts of the country, and Rachel is in Oklahoma.  She was able to travel to see her sister, but was unable to see her brother before his untimely and relatively quick passing.  She did attend his service.

 Looking at Rachel’s life, I quickly see a woman who has had her share of grief and pain.  Her parents are both gone.  Her older sister is terminally ill, 1,500 miles away.  Her younger brother had a sudden fall and stroke, and quickly passed away.  She has always been less than exceedingly healthy due to the scarlet fever.  And she’s been battling MS and all that comes with it for decades.

 Yet she perseveres.  She continues living life.  She keeps on doing what she can with the physical abilities she has.  And seems to have a decent attitude about it all.  In all of our conversations, the most I have heard her complain is what she said as she contemplated attending her brother’s memorial service, weighing her options and the inevitable difficulties of travel.  I quote:  “All of these factors add to my fatigue, close down my ability to even move, and probably make my walker very difficult to use.  Do I seem frustrated?”

 I don’t know what’s going on in your life.  Nor do I know how well or how poorly you’re dealing with those issues.  And I certainly am not qualified to offer advice.  But what I can do is point you to people like Rachel who continue to persevere even in the midst of what many would consider overwhelming problems and trials.  The human spirit has been created by God to, as the old saying goes, “Keep on keeping on.”  The trials of life and the struggles of living are a part of ourselves and our environment.  We celebrate the Rachels of this life…the overcomers…the perseverers.

 In the Bible, I could point to great people of faith such as Abraham, Elijah, the prophets, Esther, Ruth, the Apostle Paul, the Apostle Peter, and of course Jesus Christ as overcomers…perseverers.  And there are countless people in history who have overcome the greatest of obstacles in life to earn that place they occupy in history.

 And there are Rachels even now all around us and among us.  May we always see their examples, emulate their fortitude, and work for their good in all things.  And may God continue to bless not only you who are listening, but all of the Rachels who daily, hourly, and even minute-by-minute, overcome.