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Ten Good Things about a Rainy Memorial Day Weekend

Ten Good Things about a Rainy Memorial Day Weekend

tree branch down

The prediction of thunderstorms throughout the weekend proved 100% accurate. It rained all day Saturday, started again Sunday afternoon, and finished with windy flourish Monday morning. But the weather didn’t rain on our family parade as these 10 good things about a rainy Memorial Day Weekend show.

10.  Any remaining drought worries were washed away.

9.    The family rhubarb supply is secure for several more weeks.

8.    This morning’s wind provided a free tree trimming. (See photo above)

7.    We discovered that barbecue baby back ribs are as delicious slow-baked in the oven as on the grill.

6.    Morning rain on the roof feels so homey…especially when all your chicks are home and under that roof for the weekend.

5.    Rainy days mean board games. Hooray!

4.    No one wishes they were outside enjoying good weather rather than indoors sorting family pictures and documents according to plan.

3.    A rainstorm is a good reason to drink another cup of coffee at Panera’s before going to put flowers on graves.

2.    Rain-soaked earth makes pushing plastic flower stems in the dirt in front of family graves a very easy task.

1.   The weather makes a person more thankful than ever for the soldiers who braved all sorts of weather to ensure freedom for the citizens of our country.

Do you have something to add to the list? Leave a comment!

Remembering Great Men this Memorial Weekend

Remembering Great Men this Memorial Weekend

Today’s post is an updated version of a piece written for Veteran’s Day, 2012. During the Christmas season, Uncle Leo was hospitalized after a fall. After a three month struggle, he died in early March of 2013. He is still dearly loved, deeply missed, and remembered with fondness.

Yesterday was Veteran’s Day, and in my world it went out with more of a whimper than a bang. However our state’s major newspaper, The Des Moines Register, in a moving salute to World War II vets, had the soldiers tell their stories in their own words.

That story, combined with the passing of my husband’s Uncle Harold, a World War 2 pilot last week, was a reminder of how little time remains for our nation to say thank you to the men and women who risked their lives in that great war. Here are the heroes in our family–some still living and some gone in the past few years–I am proud to call my uncles, and for whom I am grateful today.

Harold Walker, Hiram’s story telling uncle, and pilot in the Pacific Theater near the end of the war. He died a little over a week ago.

Marvin Conrad, my piano-playing and very musical uncle. I believe he served in the Navy in World War 2. He died a little over two years ago, only a few months after visiting Washington, DC on one of the Freedom Flights.

Ordel Rogen, my cattle-raising uncle. He served in some branch of the armed forces in World War 2, though I’m not sure of the details. He died several years ago in December.

Leo Hess, who tells harrowing tales of fighting during the Battle of the Bulge in World War 2. He celebrated his 90th birthday in August and still lives in his own home.

Jim Hoey is my history-loving uncle. He was also a dedicated friend to my dad during his long struggle with multiple sclerosis. Jim served as a Navy medic in the Korean War. He turned 80 in June and still loves to travel and write letters to his grandkids and great-nephews and nieces.

Dear uncles, our thanks for your service is not enough, but it’s all we have to give. Thank you for fighting for freedom.

Because of you, our shared family histories continue.
Because of your sacrifice, our family is able to reunite in the summer to reminisce about old memories and create new ones.
Because of you, little children play without fear.
Because of you, elderly men and women are cared for and safe.
Because of you, we live in peace.
Because of you, we are who we are.
Because of you, we are blessed.
Because of you.

Top Ten People I Was Thankful for on Memorial Day

Top Ten People I Was Thankful for on Memorial Day

With Camp Dorothy in full swing and Hiram laid up with a pinched sciatic nerve, there wasn’t time to attend any Memorial Day commemorations. Still, my thoughts strayed to friends and family members who served our country to protect the freedom I often take for granted. Here are the top ten reasons I was thankful on Memorial Day.

10.  Mr. Criswell – The father of Katie, one of my best friends in high school, was a WWII vet. I’m thankful for his pride in and the honor his family has for his service to our country.

9.   Great-great-grandpa Fred Hess – Fred served in the Union Army for the entire Civil War. I’m thankful for his letters home which his wife Tabitha saved.

8.   Marvin Conrad – I’m thankful Uncle Marvin participated in the Minnesota Honor Flight to Washington DC a few months before his death in 2010.

7.   Ronnie Fielder – This young man from our church the same year as our daughter, Anne. I’m thankful he’s safely home and going to school on the GI Bill.

6.   Hugo (Burnell) Hagen – My great-uncle on Dad’s side regaled us with tales of his WWII service in Alaska. I’m thankful his unit held regular reunions in Las Vegas for decades so he could rave about what a showman Liberace was.

5.   Ordel Rogen – Uncle Ordel farmed within 2 miles of his birthplace…except for the years he served in the army during WWII. I’m thankful he came home and married my mother’s sister Ruth.

4.   Harold Walker – I’m thankful Hiram’s uncle continues to write and publish accounts of his years as a WWII fighter pilot in the Pacific theater. His story of seeing the Enola Gay take off before bombing of Hiroshima makes that terrible far off event seem close at hand.

3.  Leo Hess – Uncle Leo tells amazing, horrendous stories of fighting in the Battle of the Bulge. I’m thankful he dodged enemy fire and caught up with his platoon, despite the shrapnel in his foot.

2.  Jim Hoey – Uncle Jim served as a medic in the Korean War. During his years as a second father to my siblings and I, Dad’s faithful friend, a fix-it man for Mom, and my high school World History teacher, he rarely spoke of time overseas. I am so thankful for his service and his safe return as his presence enriched my life in innumerable ways.

1.  David Philo – Hiram’s dad repaired radios in WWII planes. In the 1990s he took our family to the Dayton Airplane Museum to show our kids one of the planes whose radio he repaired – the plane assigned to Vice-President Harry Truman during WWII. I’m thankful he got to show his grandchildren a piece of his life history.

Who were you thankful for on Memorial Day? Leave a comment to honor the special soldiers in your life.