Memorial Day Weekend

Riding this weekend I really got thinking about Memorial Day and what it means. I’m not sure why it’s speaking to me so strongly this year. Maybe because it’s been a challenging year, maybe it’s age, maybe it’s missing my nephew who was more like a son than my nephew. He served in the Air Force and unfortunately while he was serving in Kuwait he was misdiagnosed which lead to a cancer that had spread beyond the point of remission or curing once discovered and it took his life within approximately 7 months at the young age of only 22. He loved serving in the Air Force and I believe it’s the first time he really felt like he was doing what He was called to do and he was proud of his accomplishments. As you can see from the picture of him, he also rode. I recently thought how nice it would have been to be able to ride with him now, only to then realize I’d have been in his dust because he liked to “fly ” more than ride at a leisurely pace. He lived life wide open and experienced more in his 22 years than many live in way more years.

Luke, this weekend is about you and about the other brave men and women who literally gave their lives to serve their country. I am thankful for each and every one of them, as well as their families who were left behind. This weekend is about remembering them, not about cooking out, going to the beaches or mountains, or getting a 3 day weekend. If not for those who served and died for us, we wouldn’t have the freedom to now do these things. I wouldn’t have the freedom to ramble on about my thoughts without fear of others trying to stop me.

On that thought, I have come to also realize that not everyone who reads mine or other’s blogs, will agree with what we share. There have been several times when I have received some “negative ” feedback from some readers that had me questioning whether I should continue to share or maybe just journal for myself. Every time this has happened, I would then get an encouraging word or note from someone else who was somehow touched positively by what they read so here I am still rambling on. I’m not here to convert anyone and I’m by no means an expert on solving anyone’s problems, but I’m here to share what He leads me to share and if it helps even 1 person in any way then He gets all the glory.

The men and women who served, fought tough battles no doubt. I can’t even begin to imagine what they went through prior to giving their lives for us. Some died in combat type battle, others died of indirect battles due to things they were exposed to that caused physical health issues like my nephew or mental health issues or a combination of all these things. Regardless of the cause, they are heroes in my book for serving and I will not forget them.

We each also fight our own battles daily. Some may be regarding physical health, mental health, or spiritual health, and some maybe are even a combination of them all. We never truly know what another person is going through, or has been through, unless we have walked in their shoes. That’s why we should never judge others.

Today my riding battle was dealing with the weather. There were pop up storms all around me. Every time I thought maybe I should pull over and put on my rain gear, the sun would peak out from behind a cloud and I knew it was all going to be ok and I would just continue on.

In case you haven’t picked up on it, each time I thought about stopping my blog, something would happen to make me realize I needed to continue on. Each time I thought about pulling over to put on gear, the sun would give me a message to continue on. Some would say these are just coincidences, but personally I don’t believe in coincidences. I believe it’s all part of His plan. I have been caught in the rain several times on my bike, some of which I’ve previously written about, and those times everything in me was saying I needed to put on rain gear or not ride at all, but I didn’t listen and I got wet. Today thankfully all of the rain was around me, not on me. I did go through a few areas where I ended up with a “polka dotted” windshield and glasses and areas where the pavement was wet, but nothing requiring gear.

Often I think our biggest battle may be within ourselves. We maybe haven’t forgiven someone we should, we haven’t forgiven ourselves, we haven’t put the past where it belongs-in the past, we question ourselves and don’t have faith in ourselves or we just don’t feel worthy enough. The battles we fight in our own minds can truly be deadly. It can kill our motivation, our goals, and our future.

Where would we be now if the men and women who fought for our country allowed these kinds of thoughts to over rule the orders they were given to carry out?

We too have orders we are to carry out and one is to love one another. Can we truly love others if we are harboring the internal feelings I previously mentioned?

1 Corinthians 13:13

And now these three remain; faith, hope,and love. But the greatest of these is love.

Let’s remember those who gave their lives for us, because they loved their country and remember that Jesus gave His life for us, because He loved us and wanted us to have eternal life. Love is what it’s all about. Have a safe and happy Memorial Day weekend and love one other.