Remembering Eddie

Memorial Day weekend has a special meaning for each of us here in the USA. I remember a tradition that my husband and I had when we were first married. Every year we went with his parents to various cemeteries around town to place flowers at the graves of my husband’s grandparents. There was one cemetery that I enjoyed going to the most. It was out in the country in rural Iowa. In the middle of fields of corn and soy beans was an old wire fence and dozens of mature maple and oak trees. The only sounds were the wind whispering through the leaves and the songs of cardinals and an occasional mourning dove. Some of the head stones dated as far back as the 1800’s.  In front of many of the stones there was planted Lily of the Valley or a Peony bush. The fragrance in the air was heartwarming.

When we were finished with our cemetery visits we gathered as a family for a barbeque. My father in law was a veteran of WWII. He was in the army and fought on the front lines. Sometimes he would tell us the stories of being at the Battle of the Bulge huddled in a fox hole with other soldiers trying to stay warm. He received one of his two purple hearts in that battle. He also shared a story that I will never forget. He told of a fierce battle. Many soldiers were injured or killed all around him. When it was over he stood up and looked down. His over coat was riddled with bullet holes. He opened it up and it looked like Swiss cheese as the sunlight shined through the holes. But Ed was unharmed. He didn’t even have a scratch. Every time he told that story tears ran down his face. Sixty plus years later he still struggled with the question, “Why did so many good men die but I got to come home?”  In the early 1990’s my husband was able to answer his father’s question, at least in part. He pointed at our young sons. They were 6, 4, and 2 years old at the time and he said, “Dad, look at those three little boys. God saw my sisters and I and He saw those three little guys right there. That’s why; and who knows what plan God may have for them.” As my father in law looked over at our boys he couldn’t help but smile.

“A huge cloud of witnesses is all around us. So let us throw off everything that stands in our way. Let us throw off any sin that holds on to us so tightly. Let us keep on running the race marked out for us.” (Hebrews 12:1)

Ed went home to be with the Lord in March of 2006. Today he is part of the cloud of witnesses that verse in Hebrews talks about. Today he can see his son as he influences the lives of the people he over sees at work every day. He sees his three grandsons. One is a business owner, one is a State Trooper, and one is a Pastor. He also sees his twelve month old great grandson who is named after him.

My husband has his father’s patches, purple hearts and bronze stars proudly on display in his office. Although we will not fully know until eternity why Ed was spared in that war. I for one am forever thankful that he was. I will always remember the strong, Godly, gentle man I had the privilege of knowing. I see his legacy everyday in my husband and my sons.

As an American I would like to say, “Thank You” to him, my dad, and my brother in laws, and to all those served.  Our flag still stands for freedom. And this Memorial Day weekend I want you to know we will always remember the price that was paid.

“Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord…” (Psalm 33:12)