Honoring the Fourth

Happy 4th of July! I hope each of you has a wonderful holiday weekend celebrating the beautiful country we call home.

Mama Aleisha from She Calls me Mama Leisha is here with us today and she’s such an amazing writer, I was SO excited to read her post for today…

She’s thought provoking, inspiring, and I might have even shed alittle tear when I read this touching Honoring the Fourth post.

Enjoy.

Recently, my family and I took a little trip to Cedar City, UT. Located in the southeastern part of the state–surrounded by breathtaking national parks and red rock to rival terracotta–Cedar City is beautiful and charming.

My mom and my little sister went with us. Early one morning, my mom went out walking. She happened upon an immaculate park and war memorial that honored fallen soldiers from a number of devastating conflicts. When she got back to the hotel she told us all about it, and said that it was a place we needed to visit. We found ourselves there before lunchtime.

“Veterans Park” (as I discovered it was called) is a gorgeous and reverent place. The Vietnam War memorial was the most luring monument; captivating in it’s essence. A poem, “Some Gave All,” was engraved in the statue. It read:

If you are able,

save for them a place inside of you,

And then save one backward glance when you are leaving,

for the places they can no longer go.

Be not ashamed to say you loved them,

though you may or may not have always.

Take what they have taught you with their dying

and keep it with your own.

And in that time

when men decide and feel to call war insane,

Take one moment to embrace

those gentle heroes you left behind.

My breath caught in my chest as I read the very last line of the poem. It credited the author: Major Michael Davies O’Donald.

Major Michael Davies O’Donald. A brave heart. A soldier. He was stationed in Vietnam when he wrote his poem, on January 1, 1970.

And that’s when I wept.

Because here’s the thing, my friends… That is what the Fourth of July is all about. Absolutely, the barbecues with friends and loved ones are fun. Absolutely, the firework shows add an element of sparkle and perfection to the holiday. Absolutely, the parades, the festivities, the rodeos, the camping, the boating, and the memories make the Fourth of July a most beloved and anticipated celebration. But it’s more than that.

It’s honoring the men and women in fatigues who have fought, or who are still fighting, for our precious freedoms. It’s about honoring the majesty of our country, about giving praise for those who went before us; inspired souls who laid the foundational bricks of our great nation. It’s about blood that has been shed on front lines and tears that have soaked grieving shoulders. It’s about thanking God for what we have. It’s about thanking God for the sacrifices that have been made for us and for our home. Our wonderful, wonderful home.

“Take what they have taught you with their dying and keep it with your own.”

Happy Fourth Of July, my friends.

I love this lady! She’s a good blog friend of mine and I’m so grateful she is on our Creative Team.

Here’s some more posts you’ll enoy…