"In circumstances dark as these, it becomes us, as Men and Christians, to reflect that, whilst every prudent Measure should be taken to ward off the impending Judgements....All confidence must be withheld from the Means we use; and reposed only on that GOD who rules in the Armies of Heaven, and without whose Blessing the best human Counsels are but Foolishness--and all created Power Vanity”. John Hancock

Memorial Day Notes

Well, another Memorial Day has past. I hope you were able to devote at least a little time in remembrance of those who died in the service of this country.

Although the services are done, our job at Focus on Veterans is still far from over. Once again we put flags out at the local cemeteries in the Brookfield area. As I have said before, this is the most time consuming and labor intensive of all our projects but at the same time it is the most rewarding! When I think of the sacrifices made by our veterans, a few hours a year to place a flag on their graves is the very least I can do to show my appreciation.

Now, in a day or two we will go back out to retrieve those flags so they can be counted, sorted and put away for use again next year. So as you can see, we still have several hours of work left to us before we can call “Mission Complete” on another Memorial Day.

As I have said before, we pick up these flags so they will stay in good condition and will last several years. If we pick up a flag that you wanted left on a grave please give me a call and we will make sure it gets put back.

Speaking of our Cemetery Flag Project, I really look forward to doing this each year. I have to admit that I am not as young as I used to be and after several rows of placing flags I really start to feel my age!

Yet, I am very particular about this project and will continue to do this as long as God allows me to!

 We have been doing this since May 2000. After years of reading the names and inscriptions on the stones and markers, these have become more than just a name on a stone.

I see them for who they really are. They were sons, fathers and brothers. They were folks we knew and loved. Some gave their lives in defense of this country. Others served then came home to live out their lives raising a family or whatever God may have led them to.

They deserve to be honored and remembered not one day a year but everyday! My children help with this project and each year I explain to them that they should look at this as an honor and a privilege.

My goal, my prayer is that our youth will learn as much as they can about our veterans and thus gain a great appreciation for what they have done.

Pray for our country and our leaders. May God give them wisdom...they sure need it! Remember those who made our freedoms possible. Have you hugged a veteran today?

As always, I am for God, duty, honor and country.