Memorial Day

This is the day set aside to pay tribute to all those who have served in the Armed Forces of our great nation, with special emphasis on those who never came home.  There is an entry devoted to the fallen soldier, and if you like, you can see this post at Memorial Day .  But there are others who serve, silently and unheralded, and this post, originally published on Nov. 10, 2011, is devoted to the ones who stay at home and wait .....


Home Front

With a bloody knee he pushes his bike slowly up the lane,
He’ll try to put the training wheels back on.
There’s a little girl whose daddy won’t be watching her tonight,
As she dances in her very first ballet.

There’s a woman in the kitchen fighting silent tears alone,
It’s mac ‘n cheese for dinner once again.
She prays to God for strength to make it through another night,
And wonders when her husband’s coming home.

A faded yellow ribbon hangs in tatters on the door
The candle in the window’s lit each night.
One day a gentle wind will see our weary soldiers home
To find the peace that they’ve been fighting for. 

Memorial Day

This weekend is our annual remembrance of our brave military members who have paid the ultimate sacrifice to provide us with the freedom and liberty that we enjoy today.  Please also keep in your prayers the family members left behind, the sacrifice of sons, daughters, husbands, wives, brothers, sisters, lovers - should not be overlooked.

A tear slides down her cheek and spills

 its dampness on her pillow in the night.

She lies awake and wonders if this ache

 within her heart will ever fade away.

She conjures up a tepid smile in hope of

banning demons to the corners of her mind.

But dullness in her eyes betrays the sadness that she hides

so well as she throws the curtains open at the start of yet another lonely day.

There’s a grave that lies within the soil of a country on the far side of the sea

Beneath the cross there lies a man who gave his life in the fight for liberty.

This is the day we set aside to remember those who paid the price

For we know too well that freedom is not free.