Sunday, May 24th : Happy Memorial Day

Tonight I want to wish a Happy Memorial Day to everyone. We have been having rain here so the campers may have mixed feelings, but I have enjoyed it.

My husband, Bobby, is on the road in Indianapolis and his kids are camping. Which leaves me in a rare position of being alone for several days. I have been reading a new book by Douglas Preston / Lincoln Child called The Cemetary Dance. If you've never read any of their books, they are amazing. I have all of the Agent Pendergast series, and I would be happy to lend them to you!

So, earlier this afternoon I was sprucing up the back deck and as I was standing on the step ladder, hanging these really cool japanese lanterns I found on clearance at the World Market I realized that I have a serious addiction.

Hello, my name is Tracy and I am addicted to Flowers. Real or silk, doesn't matter. Annuals, perinneals, grasses, trees, doesn't matter. Flower beds, vases, window boxes, pottery urns, you name and I will plant something in it. I love them. I have always been awed by how much beauty God gave us through these creations. But still, I may have a little bit of a problem. I'll post pictures some time and you guys can decide for your self..

This being Memorial Day, I wanted to list a few of my favorite memories of the veterans in my life:

My Grandpa Curtis:
Papa was larger than life to me. He was my daddy's dad and that was part of what made him so awesome, I think. He also was incredibly playful. He would get down on the floor and play and he never got tired of playing puzzles with us. I remember that he took naps a lot, and I only recently found out that it was because he was suffering from a bout of cancer when I was young. I know that he quit smoking then, and took up sucking on coffee candy. He always had them, always. He also always had on his blue maintenence shirt with his name sewed on to an oval patch.
Maybe because of his fights with illness, Papa felt a special empathy with me. I was born with a joint dysplysia that had me in casts, then braces on my legs. One of my earliest memories at about 3 or 4 was of him putting his hand on my head and looking me in the eyes and telling me not to worry that I would be riding bikes and running the fields too, he promised. At the time, it felt like God Himself was promising.

My Grandpa Smith:
Poppy was my example of what a spiritual leader of a family was. Not because he was dominant or held the power. Because he loved my Grammy more than I have ever seen any man love any woman before. He loved her the way Christ loves us - with wild abandon, with no regard for his own needs, with a true and complete sacrificial love. His greatest acheivements in life, the things he was proudest of, were his children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren.
I remember him playing Saxaphone records for me on Saturday night and I would dance around the living room. And watching Hee Haw and Love Boat and Fantasy Island. Another big memory is of him when we would go camping. He was always piddling around and fixing something.
Another thing about Poppy was that he had such a soft heart for kids and animals. Poppy had such a soft spot for the neighborhood cats. If there was a cat in the neighborhood, he would feed it and invite it in for 'visits'.

I was so blessed to have both of these men in my life, I thank God that they lived through WWII so that I could meet them. Papa Curtis was in the Army, and received a Purple Heart. Poppy Smith was in the Navy in the South Pacific.

Before I sign off, I want to acknowledge the other men in my life that have served in combat:
My Dad - Rex Curtis - the Army - Vietnam War
My step-brother - James Robinson - Army National Guard - Iraq Gulf War
My Father-in-law - Bob King

Thank you to these men, and to any of you (and your loved ones) out there that have served. It takes extraordinary bravery and sacrifice to commit to serve in a way that may claim your life. 90% of our population will never ever understand what that's about and won't come close to truly appreciating it, but you do it anyway. I thank God for you.

Peace, Love, and GOD,
Tracy