Sunday, May 29, 2011

To Remember

It was about 7:15 on Saturday evening when we pulled in to our local National Cemetery.  It's a tiny piece of land on the outskirts of town, that we just happened to drive by several weeks ago on one of our "let's drive around because the kids fell asleep" rides through the country.  On this night, we didn't just drive by, we drove in.  We drove in with a purpose...

To Remember.
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As Camdyn hopped out of the car she asked me if she could go play.  "No, you may not.  This is not a place to play, this is a place to remember the soliders that died for our freedoms.  This is a place where we pay respect to our soliders."  "What soliders Momma?"  "The ones that are memorialized, or buried here." 

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And then we began to walk down the wide aisle in the middle of the grounds.  She asked me what each solider's name was and which war he fought in.  "His name was Edward, and he was born in 1939, and he fought in the Korean war...he had a long life."  She carefully looked at each stone that lined the aisle, careful not to walk between them.
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She learned today that our freedom is not free.  She learned that soliders make a sacrifice and that sometimes they don't get to come back home.  She learned how to pay respect today.

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As we turned to leave, with tears in her eyes she said, "I'm worried for these soliders, Momma."
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"Yes, my love.  We worry for them and we are grateful for them."

7 comments:

J.Mo said...

Oh my, that made me cry. Good for you for teaching her that...more people should do the same.

Heligirl said...

Wow, what a powerful lesson to share with her, and a wonderfully written story to help us remember. Thank you Carol!

Jennifer said...

You must have had tears in your eyes too Carol. It is great that you let her get out and experience what the day is about. I am sure she will remember each Memorial Day the true meaning of the holiday (and not just that she has off from school..LOL). And we take many of the those 'kids can fall asleep' rides ourselves..LOL! Have a great day!

Mama Hen said...

Oh Carol what a beautiful post! Camddyn is so loving and sweet. She will always carry this lesson with her. The pictures are lovely. I think that sometimes people can foregt what the meaning behind holidays is really about. Thinking about a day off or a day with friends and family, but not really thinking about what the true reason is. This was a wonderful thing you did. I hope you are well my friend! Have a great day!

Mama Hen

Unknown said...

Oh that's so touching. How sweet of your girl to really feel what these soldiers went through.

Lexie Loo, Lily, Liam & Dylan Too said...

What a beautiful post. That last picture made me cry!

Sassy said...

Great post Carol! I have to say this convicted me as we have been very lax in sharing the true meaning of any holiday other than Christmas and Easter with our kids.

These pictures are so beautiful and capture the day perfectly!