Memorial Day 2009 Musings

Iowa Jima memorial

When you drive down the main street, you know right off what Parris Island, SC is all about.


Meet Hummer, the Devil Dog Marine Corp mascot. Great dog!


Memorial Day weekend Sunday. Honorable Dress Blues...

My honorable Marine set out this morning to buy a few supplies and rations, and before I could say Memorial Day, he had come back, mounted a new bracket with a new "Old Glory" waving from the front porch. (this slow mom had not put out our faded flag because of the rain last night).
And so we remember...
This day is historically set aside to remember all who have given their lives as the price that our country has had to pay to keep our freedoms. May we never forget the cost of what we hold so dear.
Freedom.
God Bless America.

Traditional observance of Memorial day has diminished over the years. Many Americans nowadays have forgotten the meaning and traditions of Memorial Day. At many cemeteries, the graves of the fallen are increasingly ignored, neglected. Most people no longer remember the proper flag etiquette for the day. While there are towns and cities that still hold Memorial Day parades, many have not held a parade in decades. Some people think the day is for honoring any and all dead, and not just those fallen in service to our country.

To help re-educate and remind Americans of the true meaning of Memorial Day, the "National Moment of Remembrance" resolution was passed on Dec 2000 which asks that at 3 p.m. local time, for all Americans "To voluntarily and informally observe in their own way a Moment of remembrance and respect, pausing from whatever they are doing for a moment of silence or listening to "Taps."

The Moment of Remembrance is a step in the right direction to returning the meaning back to the day. What is needed is a full return to the original day of observance. Set aside one day out of the year for the nation to get together to remember, reflect and honor those who have given their all in service to their country.

God bless our military.
Remember our heritage. Remember those who gave their very life for your freedom.

Our Marine.

Justin Kyle Smith U S Marine - Private First Class


"Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart... No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it. Therefore, strengthen your feeble arms and weak knees. Make level paths for your feet,so that the lame may not be disabled, but rather healed.
(Hebrews 12: 1-3, 11-13)

After an awesome and glorious Family Day and Graduation Ceremony at Parris Island, we have our Marine home with us for a brief stay, before he heads off for Camp LeJeune. Just posting a few pictures to journal our visit.

First Recruit Battalion Alpha Company colors > RED!!



Our very first glimpse glimpse of Justin!!! (in the motivational run at 7am Thurs.)
third from the left.

Finally, we get to talk, hug, and reunite with him for the first time since January.



In the barracks, very spartan, orderly, clean. Justin's "rack" where he slept (or tried to)and proud big Sis!



His uniforms and cammies



Care to bounce a quarter on that bed???



Granddad taking pics... a LOT!!!



Graduation Morning - waiting to march out in front of the crowd (almost 600 grads !)



Marching on the parade deck. Justin - 2nd from the right.




the awesome and inspiring United States Marine Corp band.



Headed for home and 10 days of well deserved liberty....at ease Marine!



One VERY tired Marine :-)



proud, Proud, PROUD mom and dad of our honorable and much loved Marine.



Kam and Jonny. They so respect and admire their brother for what he has accomplished!



Proud Grandmama and Granddaddy. Prayer Warriors!!!!

An array of photos for a memory post here in my journal of life. :-)

God has been with Justin through it all. WE are thankful to HIM for watching over Justin and helping him to accomplish his first step in training. We are thankful to all who have followed along and prayed for his journey.

SEMPER FI!

Blessings!

Well Done, my awesome and honorable son...

They say No news is good news. Believing in solid faith that Justin completed the Crucible on Saturday, May 16, 2009, received his well-deserved Pin, and transitioned from a Recruit to a Marine, I thank my God and post this news on my blog today.

Justin Kyle Smith, my first son, born on April 4, 1989, gift from God above, one of my four most treasured jewels...is a United States Marine.

He has completed his intense training at the United States Marine Corp Recruit Training Depot on Parris Island, South Carolina. After leaving us on January 13th of this year he traveled down with other raw recruits and walked into those gates guarding the location of a place spoken of in hushed tones. He stepped onto those golden footprints representing the many that have gone before him, and proceeded to make the commitment to fight and defend this country's freedoms.


I have heard people comment, "I've heard of that place....wouldn't want to go there!!" It is known that they undertake the hardest recruit training in the United States. The fear of the unknown and the tasks that one will be called upon to face and conquer even made my son admit he was scared to death. But he was compelled to follow through on what he said was his calling from the Lord. He didn't have a choice was the way I interpreted that, and this mom was accepting of his desire to do what God was moving him to do. This is my greatest heart's desire for all of my children.



When a recruit enters those gates, they are cut off from everything they know, everything they have had, and every way they are accustomed to doing things.
No communications with friends or family, no joking, no talking unless spoken to, no slouching, no attitudes, no property you brought in with you, (not your watch, not your own glasses), not ANYTHING that was yours...even your "image" of yourself. They are stripped down to nothing, and then begin the long journey to be built back up in the mindset and permanent lifestyle of a US MARINE...and by the time they complete the Crucible, that is what has happened. Transformation.

We are beyond joyful and immensely proud of our son. Even if he had not accomplished or completed this journey on Parris Island, we would still be proud of him for who he is and what his commitment and diligence and discipline have modeled to us throughout his youth.

He is a United States Marine. It is his calling by the Spirit and grace of God. As long as Justin does everything with all his might to live for and honor and please His Lord, his first and ultimate calling.... he will meet success in everything he confronts, in God's will and God's plan for him. It was put in place before he was even born. He is just listening and following through. For this we are grateful, and support him with all our hearts, all our love, and all our prayers.

"Commit to the LORD whatever you do, and he will establish your plans." (Prov. 16:3)

God bless him. We give him his due honor today for what he has accomplished. We thank our God for walking through every step of the way with him.


A post today, that when read...will be graciously allowing this mom to announce and maybe crow a little, and cry a little about what has been achieved. On Wednesday, we will leave to go down and celebrate with Justin and hundreds of other successful recruits and their families a much anticipated graduation ceremony. WE CAN'T WAIT TO SEE HIM!!! Thanks to all the faithful prayer warriors who have prayed through Justin's journey with us. God Bless YOU!

CONGRATULATIONS JUSTIN! OOO-RAH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Semper Fi!

Saturday Sadness...Goodbye Tears...In Memory

Yesterday evening, we had to say goodbye to our first doggie. Sam (yes...I know... a boy's name for a girl dog) was our first dog and she was our "guinea pig," bless her heart. But she was patient and a good doggie. Her only fault was that she had some aggression possession issues, and if she considered something hers, she meant to KEEP IT!
So we learned over time to adjust and work through that shortcoming in her.

We acquired Sam on New Year's Day in a Toys-R-Us parking lot. Katie and I had made a run to Barnes and Noble close to our house just to see if they might per chance be open on the Holiday. We saw a bunch of yellow and black pups on a blanket in front of the shopping center off of Independence Blvd. Throwing caution to the wind, we went back to "just look." We had all been wishing for a doggie to join our family, even Kurt.
Sam and her siblings were all being sold by a family obviously wanting to "get rid of them." We paid a big $25. pricetag for a dog that was part lab and "part wolf"...(say what????) and a bunch of other who knows what???... .She no doubt had a genealogy of a melting pot of mixed breed ancestors.

Kurt was very surprised. WE drove up in the driveway, and when he walked out we handed Sam through the van window to him, and said Happy Birthday Late...(Dec. 30) and he went out to the bench in the front yard and held that little pup that could fit in one of his hands for quite a while.

Sam was only about 4 weeks old, (not 6.5 weeks like the woman said.) She couldn't even lap milk and was nowhere near ready to eat dog food, even though she was "weaned to Gravy Train". (NOT) WE got puppy formula and a bottle, and bottle fed her while teaching her to lap up the milk and get used to softened puppy food.

Well, that little half-pint grew up to over 85 pounds. She had a HUGE trunk/abdomen, very small legs, and a very small head for her body. She had health problems, weighed too much (and could never lose weight), and had hip problems early on, calling for supplements. She started turning grey-muzzled at 4.

But we loved her anyway. She was called "Piggy" and "Monkey."

It was hard this last week to see her get so sick, and it was even harder to let her go. She is a part of the fabric making up our continuing life quilt. Her "square" is finished in the story of our family's journey, and she added much color to our lives. She taught us much about dogs, (being our first) and taught us much about ourselves, even our character.

We will miss her. Much... Now we will have to tell Justin when he gets home from Parris Island. I'm sure this will be sad for him, as he has not seen her since January. He will miss seeing her greet him when he returns. He was the first one to ever start walking Sam and used to take her on the longest treks through the park. Justin is the one responsible for us starting and staying consistent in our nightly walks with the puppers. I am grateful for that.

God is good. He gave us animals to share life with us as we walk on this earth. They are wonderful and beautiful creatures. Our God is an amazing Creator. Just by being and acting upon instinct and doing what they were created to do, these beasts give glory to God, praising, honoring, and showcasing HIS awesome power, creativity and His infinite wisdom.

We should always be good stewards of such gifts God has presented to us. Our animals and "pets" make our lives just a little more colorful and give us moments of happiness as they are teaching us.

And so we say goodbye to our beloved SAM. She is buried in the backyard with Annie Grace, and if we continue to live in this house, I'm sure more precious pets will join them as the years pass.

Do you have a pet? Love them, appreciate them for the part they play in your daily life. Recognize that they are making history with you, your family history, and giving precious memories while they are still here.

{We, as a family make mention of our wonderful vets, Drs. Walker and Anne Meadows, at Matthews Animal Clinic in Matthews, who helped us immensely and gently through the process of letting go of Sam. They are awesome people and we honor them. }

Wall of Honor: Sam and Annie's retired collars and tags at far right, along with former foster dog's collars.

From one unashamed "animal lover"... to another. :-)

GOODBYE MONKEY..

Blessings,