The Hancock-Henderson Quill, Inc.
Hello folks,
If you haven't by now, I hope by Memorial Day you will be able to have all your corn and bean fields planted. Lately, we have really been blessed by the good Lord with some sun and rain for getting seeds their needed boost of sunshine and moisture.
Now, it is time to stop and give tribute to those who helped fight for this great free land we live in. We who enjoy this land must always have grateful hearts for those who sacrificed, many who never were able to enjoy the fruits of this wonderful free "America the Beautiful" they fought for.
So, please, have a grateful heart and be an example on this upcoming Memorial Day and take your family to a local Memorial Day Service.
Call the family together, attend a service, and afterwards enjoy a picnic, a cookout, or even an old fashioned potluck where the best foods are found, and talk about the history in your families so we can pass on memories and stories of our heritage in America and what that all means.
Today, it seems to be a political fight of words, but in our grandparents days, everyone seemed to have a gun at their door to guard off what ever danger lurked by. It was really an unsafe wild west. Most of our grandparents worshiped as they knew the importance of being able to worship freely and to have God in their lives that was so full of challenges.
There are so many hurting people today, but what is the difference in today and yesterday? Our ancestors grew up in harder times than we did! They worked hard and fought for everything many times to turn around and lose it. So what is the difference? Few asked for handouts, they just wouldn't, but many stepped forward to fight for this America they loved so much. They would give their life for it and many did. Today's young ones need to know why.
After the Memorial Service, encourage a child to ask a Legion member or honor guard just why this America is so precious to them. Why did they serve? Why is it worth so much sacrifice? One thing I hope you and I can show them is that true Americans must carry on the torch of patriotism and not take for granted what others have given their life for. We must do our part to honor them, and to serve our America whenever we can.
On Memorial weekend, our grandparents gathered inside or outside on long wood homemade tables to enjoy a feast and play in the yard or perhaps at the pond or took a ride on the Mississippi River to go boating. But, before they did, a few days before, Grandma, and mom would take us kids out to pick bucket fulls of wild flowers, peonies, and ferns and we would take glass jars and cans and fill them with water and make beautiful bouquets. We'd line them up in the back of the old pickup truck and we kids would sit in the back of the truck with our legs tucked inside the tailgate as mom, grandma and aunts would drive to the different cemeteries where great grandparents, great uncles, cousins, or a brother was buried. We heard the stories and knew what they did was important. I hope you take time to share your stories, too. Hope to see you at a service this weekend.
-Love, Aunt Polly