Remembering . . .

. . . our family heros.

On this Decoration Day (as it was originally named), please pause with Mimi during your cookouts, golf tournaments, trips to the lake or pools, or whatever you have planned today to remember those of our own family who have served and fought that we might still be able to enjoy all these fun events.

First . . .

Pvt. Ellis Stroud, my great uncle ~ my Granny Kendrick's baby brother who was killed in Germany leaving behind a wife and two small daughters.

Next . . .

My Uncle Bill ~ my mama's oldest brother ~ who came home from the war, married, and moved to Detroit where he lived until his death in 2005.

Also . . .

My first cousin, Deward D. ~ Doesn't Kirk look just like him?

And . . .

My baby brother ~ your Big Unc ~ who joined the National Guard in 1970. Doesn't he look so young?

Do you recognize this handsome young man in his Army Reserve uniform?

Yes, it's your Granddaddy. This picture was made the weekend he graduated from Boot Camp in Missouri in 1970.

My Daddy ~ your beloved Pop

Yes, we remember and we salute you!

On this Memorial Day, 2011, we thank you for your service and the family legacy you have left behind ~ the legacy that teaches us and our younger generation how to live and give, even if it means our lives, to serve and defend the principles upon which this great nation was founded and, above all, to honor your God and the God of our forefathers . . . the God who still showers us with His amazing grace today.

Dear God, thank you for these men of our family who have sacrificed so much for us. May we always remember that this day means so much more than a day off, a day of fun, a weekend of sales or a day to just decorate with flags. Help us teach future generations why we fly those flags and about the men whose lives are represented by each of those flags. Help us, also, to always remember all those who made the ultimate sacrifice for this country and to honor their memory by giving of ourselves so that this land will always be the "land of the free and the brave." Amen