Veteran’s Day

As I was driving past our city cemetery, there was a little golden spot in the middle of all the green.  It touched my heart so much that I went home to get my camera and drive back.  While all the other trees had shed their leaves, two had saved their golden blanket for today.

So beautiful!

I have always found cemeteries to be very restful, reverent places.

Today there was something lovely about a freshly fallen blanket of golden leaves, undisturbed.

It beckoned me to visit, to sit and stay a while.

Wandering through the cemetery, seeing monuments to lives lived and gone, I remember.

I remember that so much of what we worry about doesn’t really matter.
That people are what matter most.
That we give our lives in more than death, that we give our lives by how we spend our time, who we serve.
That people I have never met have given life (both in death and in years) that I might live and have the opportunity to choose how to spend my time, choose who to serve, choose to remember… or not.

Today is Veteran’s Day, the day we honor those who have served in our armed forces and are still with us.

Those who were not called to make the ultimate sacrifice.

I am grateful for them.  I think a lot about the WWII generation and how much they have to offer.   Among them is my grandfather, now in his 89th year.

To my children he is Great Grandpa, who we visit every summer (even when I’m pregnant).

As a young man, he served in the Navy.  He was the navigator on a Kingfisher plane.

I grew up hearing the story of the Battle of the Truk Islands and the role he played.
I’m grateful for his example and for his military service.

I tried to call him today to thank him for his service.  In the end,  I had to leave a message.
In this Thanksgiving season, I suppose it’s appropriate to offer thanks to our veterans.
Who can you thank?

Jennifer