Memorial Day and Birthdays

Today was lovely.  Lucy was up early and went to put flags up in the neighborhood with the young men and young women.  Then she had cello lessons and then she and Barrett went right over to help their grandparents with their yard work.  They both worked pretty hard.

Robert went out and made our yard look great!  He mowed, trimmed and pulled a bunch of weeds!  It looks so great!  He was off from work today, but only for the first half of the day.  He traded his late night with someone else because he will be helping at tryouts on his regular late night.  The yard sure looks nice!

I hope I remember to have Parker help me clean the grill this week sometime!  It is so gross, and it needs to be gone over.  Real good!

Then, we went down south for my sister's surprise birthday party/ memorial day get together!  Her husband, Jon, put it all together and it was just so nice.  Everyone brought salads and chips and there was also barbecue pork sandwiches.  It was delicious.

My favorite part was the fact that he did some research for my sister regarding our grandfather on our dad's side.  He told us about the battles where our grandpa served, and how the Japanese left the villages and the natives of those villages and how hard it was for our soldiers to go in and see the carnage.  My grandfather was wounded on June 2, (I think in 1944) and died two days later.  Jon said that our grandfather died right at the end of the battle.   He also said that my sister (his wife) wondered most of all if he was a hero.  Jon said that even though he had no evidence, one way or another, he concluded that our grandpa was, in fact, a hero.  He served our country, and he made the ultimate sacrifice for his family and for America.  He was awarded the purple heart.  I have seen it.  And I have held it in my hands.

I am so thankful for my grandfather.  He is buried in the Philippines, in Manila.  I have been thinking about how I can possibly earn enough money to send my dad to see his dad's grave.  He has never been able to go and pay his respects.  I would love to go with him and visit that special place.  I spoke to my sisters about finding a way to get him there.  They agreed that it would be a wonderful thing, and we will talk more about it.

One thing that helps me to understand a little bit more about my own childhood is the discovery that my dad didn't have a dad.  And his dad didn't have a dad.  They both grew up without their fathers.  It really makes my heart have an ache that I can't explain.  It literally feels like my heart turns to them.  The spirit of Elijah is alive.

So, here are the pictures from today.  

Lucy sneaked into my bed, because she was cold.  This was after flags and before cello lessons.  This is the only one that I got, because she hid under the covers after I took the first picture.

My sister with our nephew.  

He had the funnest time allowed by time and space!  

My brother, my dad and his wife.

My sister Cheri and her husband Jon.

My dad.  With a flag in his hat.

It is a pretty great hat.

And he has the beard to pull off the hat.

Happy Memorial Day, everyone.

Don't forget the men and women that have served and died for you and for me to be free.

God bless America!