Veterans Day, 2011

 

Veterans Day, 2011

The time was 11 a.m., very fitting considering the day, month and year. Several hundred people gathered at the corner of our city cemetery at 11 a.m. this morning to dedicate a memorial, a memorial to all of those who served and are buried on the gentle slope of the hill.

There were flag bearers, speeches, and even a trumpeter. The cold breeze moved the fabric emblems of our country as they held suspended above our heads and we heard from a former congressman, the state's current Lt. Governor, and our mayor. A few of the city's finest were recognized for their part in the construction of the memorial. They did good work.

 

After the dedicatory prayer was given and handshakes were exchanged, I walked around the grounds where the bodies of my parents...wait. 

 

 

 

I saw a couple of headstones adorned by an American flag. A few others wandered about with perhaps the same idea.

  

No flag appeared above my father's marker. My mom told the city time and time again that her husband was a veteran and should be acknowledged as such. There was no flag and his name did not appear on the new memorial. That's something I need to fix. I had a suspicion that his name would be missing and at first it bothered me a bit. I did a little research and found some information on my dad and his service record. That can be found: HERE.

But as I walked away from my parent's headstone and drove away from the cemetery, the fact that my dad's name wasn't on the newly dedicated memorial didn't mean that much. I know it will be there and that this may be important to generations yet to come. I had a change of heart because though it's important he be recognized as a veteran, it's more important (for me...) that I remember his as my dad.

Here's to the veterans out there, the ones who, for a time in their life, offered the greatest gift a human can give for someone else.

Mother's Day, 2011

As the last rays of sunlight fade into the night, the day in which we honor our moms fades with it. I think it's so appropriate that Mother's Day falls on a Sunday, a day of reflection, a holy day.

Since I began this blog several months ago, I dedicated at least two posts to my own mother. One (found: here) showed some early memories preserved in film, and the other (found: here) contained some of my thoughts as I slowly watched my mother's health deteriorate from the effects of cancer. It is one of my most-visited blog posts. I couldn't be more proud of that fact.

This Sunday we invited my in-laws over and we all enjoyed homemade strawberry shortcake. It was so, so delicious! And of course, the day would not be complete without including my thoughts of my children's mother, my wife.

It's almost an insult to the importance of motherhood that we only dedicate one day on honor to a calling each and every one of us owe our very lives to. Yesterday I took over the Saturday responsibilities my wife usually does and it wore me out. She is an amazing person and my children (even if they don't always realize it now...) are very lucky to have her as their mom. Happy Mother's Day, Sweetie!

My Day Off

So, what is a Priesthood Park? It's a term I use that may one day describe a way people (mostly men...) park their cars, trucks and minivans. I'll explain later.

My day off was fantastic, although I did do a few hours of work for the Vertical Challenge--it's only a week away. The kids had a blast sleeping in the front room and they even let us sleep undisturbed. Nice kids, nice...

I snapped a few pictures of the flag we flew in honor of the day in which we honor presidents of our country--past and present. I usually fly the flag every day in the summer unless it rains. And due to the inclement weather common in winter, I rarely fly the flag. But today was beautiful--a flag flying-worthy day.

We went out to eat at Chili's and here's where I observed the Priesthood Park. Here's an example (and the fact that the vehicles are almost

identical--a common occurrence in our state, makes the picture much more interesting, to me, at least...):

My definition of the Priesthood Park is as follows--parking a vehicle by backing into the space. I call it this because at every Priesthood meeting, the men will park this way so they can escape the building and return home, or to the local ice cream parlor as fast as possible. It's like they can't remain at the meeting even a few seconds longer...and it's what I do at almost every Priesthood meeting. What can I say?

Before we made it home, we visited my in-laws to help them with their new computer. The kids were great and we fixed the problem. And while there, I snapped a few pictures (I need fresh views for my Pic Of The Day). We had a great President's Day, 2011.