Veterans Day

My mother was a WWII veteran. She served in the Women's Army Corps in Italy and Africa. My dad also was a veteran. He served in the Army Secret Services, the United States Army, though at the time he was still a Canadian citizen. He later became a naturalized US citizen. Dad was in Germany and Poland and Holland and saw first hand the horrors of concentration camps. He never shared those experiences with his children, he didn't need to, they were etched indelibly into his life. Kindness and generosity his trade mark. I am proud of my heritage and of my parents. All my uncles served in the armed forces and one was a Navy pilot who died in a plane crash at the start of WWII. Two of my nephews served in the armed forces, one is still active in the Navy today. Today we honor those who have served this country by their selfless courage and sacrifice. Some have fallen in battle, some have died in old age, and some through life's tragic events. Parades and special services, wreaths placed in places dedicated to the honoring of their memory, these brave veterans.
Today, also, the Hospice of the Champlain Valley held their annual Memorial Service for those who died over the past year and years who were connected somehow to the Hospice program. The service is to help the grieving process. Acknowledging each others loss and pain eases somehow the emptiness and orphaned sense of having both parents gone. I miss them both, my mother and my dad. I still want to tell them news of their grandchildren and great grandchildren. I think of our celebrations and gatherings and how they would so enjoy being a part of it all. I cherish their memories and the very special family I grew up in. At the memorial service lives were spoken of as lights of love that will never go out, never dim. We cannot forget them, their impact on our lives and who we are now, too great. We cannot ignore the pain in our hearts that still time has not healed. Time won't heal it. "It" as the Rev. said, is the horrible overwhelming pain and loss only we know, yet others experience as well in their personal loss experiences. I am proud to honor their memories, proud and thankful they were my parents.