Another of the Greatest Generation Gone ...

What a day that will be
When my Jesus I will see
When I look upon His face
The One who saved me by His Grace
When He takes my by the hand
And leads ME through the promised land
What a day, glorious day, that will be!

That is the first verse of one of the greatest songs ever written.  Today, a special day for me, the reality of the precious message of that blessed assurance was reborn at a funeral.  A dear, sweet man from my church passed away this week and I was asked to sing for that funeral.  That is pretty normal for me now but today was, well, special. 

Special came in sitting in back of the auditorium and watching family and friends join at the casket to embrace, share, laugh, cry, feel the loss of a husband, a father, a grand father, a great grand father and as much as anything, a great friend to so many including me.  As I watched the unfolding of the viewing from fifty feet away before the service began, I sat with the eldest son, as I am in my family, and engaged him in giving me one word of description of his dad. That word, "tough!" I asked if his dad ever talked to him about his Navy time at Normandy as a pilot of a landing ship that ferried troops from ships off shore into the cauldron of death on the beaches; beaches I have walked and explored and studied and the American Military Cemetery that resides on Omaha beach. His answer, "no, he never did." I can say the same about my father as well, tough and never spoke of WWII.

Now two years ago, I sang at the funeral of my wonderful father-in-law that gave me his baby girl now almost forty-one years ago that came ashore at Normandy. He was a gentle, sweet man but rarely spoke of his WWII days once in combat.  But today a reality hit me ... my father-in-law and my friend were both at Normandy and my friend could well have transported my father-in-law to the beaches from the hell the Germans established.  That reality left me spellbound and humbled.  For the freedom we take so much for granted was granted by men like my friend, my father-in-law, my father and millions more with now a thousand each day leaving this world to a final destination.  This destination today was certain where eternity will be for my friend; it will be Heaven.

Just yesterday another Marine was buried in a small town just south of here killed in Afghanistan last week and you might remember my words of the Army Four Star General Starry that died a few weeks ago.  Each served, served gloriously and allows me and each of us to do what we take for granted; enjoy the luxury of freedom!  So through the tears and the hugs and the stories and the gentle touches this day, a widow is saddened, a family is longing for their patriarch but there is a silver lining to this ... seek to be ready to go for it can come in a moment!

Today, find a veteran and thank him or her, give them a hand salute and a hand shake, tell them you appreciate what they did.  I still love to see my two grandsons when then see me render the hand salute and hand shake to an old veteran come to attention and salute with their Poppy!  Maybe that will be the greatest legacy I will leave them when my time comes. If so, PRICELESS!  Today as the funeral ended a lady I did not know walked up to me, shook my hand, thanked for me the songs and hugged me thanking me for my service to my country; our country. I was humbled into my own tears of thanks and reflection of so many friends killed in Vietnam. Tears are, by the way, a language god does understand!