~together~
A year has come and gone now this day that my brother-in-law Wes died after a sudden illness. Only 7 months after my sister Sherry passed away, we said our "good-byes" to him as well. In a million years I would have never imagined that it would go as it did. Losing Wes brought to mind one very important lesson to remember.
At its very best, life is fleeting.
Wes died on the day that would have marked my father's 95th birthday. I thought of the irony of it all when I realized that now those two men would continue their "father-son" visits in Heaven for eternity. I like to imagine that and my heart is happy at the thought of the family reunions that take place for us all once our time on earth is through.
During our time here along the Red River, we got the chance to see Wes and Sherry at least two or three times a month. I was glad that Wes and Mike could get the opportunity to know one another and do things together that were of interest to them. I remember Sherry and I on the phone with one another on many occasions, speaking of upcoming gun and knife exhibits or car shows that Mike and Wes would enjoy. Neither of us had any interest in going to stuff like that, so we were thankful that those two guys could take out on a Saturday afternoon to see them.
We had the chance to be with them and visit plenty of places while Sherry was still feeling well enough to run around a bit. One of the last times we did something together was during late summer of 2016 when we all went to Ft. Sill National Cemetery near the community of Elgin, Oklahoma. I had wanted to see it for quite some time, but we had never gotten around to going. Wes and Sherry had never visited there either so one Saturday afternoon we went.
I remember as we drove into that sacred burial ground that it just seemed like such a quiet and peaceful place. Its location felt sheltered away from the rest of the busy and noisy world, even though I-44 is just a stone's throw away from it. Row upon row of white crosses that bore the names of servicemen and service women were arranged in neatly laid out rows. I remember Wes remarking that it didn't matter what rank you had as a veteran. An Army private might be buried right next to an Air Force general.
In death, they were all soldiers.
I knew that Wes wanted to be buried there at Ft. Sill and after he saw it, there was no doubt in his mind. On a frigid cold and windy February 6th of last year, his wish was realized. The small crowd of family and friends gathered around his casket remembered him with love in their hearts. Wes joined the others there as an ever growing part of the "bivouac of the dead".
This past November, I was able to take some of my students at Grandfield Elementary School to Ft. Sill National Cemetery to visit Wes's grave, honoring him and the other soldiers buried in his section of the cemetery. As part of our Veteran's Day lesson, I taught the kids about the practice of leaving coins on the gravestones of veterans. We gathered pennies for several weeks prior to our going, and by the time we left that Saturday morning we had amassed over 5,000 of them.
I was so proud of those kids and the parents who accompanied us as well. I watched them go respectfully up and down the rows of graves as they placed their pennies atop the shining white gravestones. The cold wind was blowing that morning, but the sun was up and the skies were clear. It made quite a picture to be remembered, and certainly one that this teacher will never forget. I thought of Wes and how proud he would have been to know that a small child would come on a Saturday to visit him and honor the fact that once he had served his country.
With Wes's passing, it became apparent that our time here along the Red River was probably close to becoming complete. Our family here had now gone on and it was the time to start heading back home towards a new and different life. We have taken so many pictures here in the past 4 years since we arrived on that warm late May evening in 2015. Wes and Sherry are in the lion's share of them. Even though they are gone from our sight, as I glance through those photos it is as if they are sitting right beside me.
I'm so glad that we had the time with them.
It was short and sweet, but at least we were together before it was time to go.
At its very best, life is fleeting.
Wes died on the day that would have marked my father's 95th birthday. I thought of the irony of it all when I realized that now those two men would continue their "father-son" visits in Heaven for eternity. I like to imagine that and my heart is happy at the thought of the family reunions that take place for us all once our time on earth is through.
During our time here along the Red River, we got the chance to see Wes and Sherry at least two or three times a month. I was glad that Wes and Mike could get the opportunity to know one another and do things together that were of interest to them. I remember Sherry and I on the phone with one another on many occasions, speaking of upcoming gun and knife exhibits or car shows that Mike and Wes would enjoy. Neither of us had any interest in going to stuff like that, so we were thankful that those two guys could take out on a Saturday afternoon to see them.
We had the chance to be with them and visit plenty of places while Sherry was still feeling well enough to run around a bit. One of the last times we did something together was during late summer of 2016 when we all went to Ft. Sill National Cemetery near the community of Elgin, Oklahoma. I had wanted to see it for quite some time, but we had never gotten around to going. Wes and Sherry had never visited there either so one Saturday afternoon we went.
I remember as we drove into that sacred burial ground that it just seemed like such a quiet and peaceful place. Its location felt sheltered away from the rest of the busy and noisy world, even though I-44 is just a stone's throw away from it. Row upon row of white crosses that bore the names of servicemen and service women were arranged in neatly laid out rows. I remember Wes remarking that it didn't matter what rank you had as a veteran. An Army private might be buried right next to an Air Force general.
In death, they were all soldiers.
I knew that Wes wanted to be buried there at Ft. Sill and after he saw it, there was no doubt in his mind. On a frigid cold and windy February 6th of last year, his wish was realized. The small crowd of family and friends gathered around his casket remembered him with love in their hearts. Wes joined the others there as an ever growing part of the "bivouac of the dead".
This past November, I was able to take some of my students at Grandfield Elementary School to Ft. Sill National Cemetery to visit Wes's grave, honoring him and the other soldiers buried in his section of the cemetery. As part of our Veteran's Day lesson, I taught the kids about the practice of leaving coins on the gravestones of veterans. We gathered pennies for several weeks prior to our going, and by the time we left that Saturday morning we had amassed over 5,000 of them.
I was so proud of those kids and the parents who accompanied us as well. I watched them go respectfully up and down the rows of graves as they placed their pennies atop the shining white gravestones. The cold wind was blowing that morning, but the sun was up and the skies were clear. It made quite a picture to be remembered, and certainly one that this teacher will never forget. I thought of Wes and how proud he would have been to know that a small child would come on a Saturday to visit him and honor the fact that once he had served his country.
With Wes's passing, it became apparent that our time here along the Red River was probably close to becoming complete. Our family here had now gone on and it was the time to start heading back home towards a new and different life. We have taken so many pictures here in the past 4 years since we arrived on that warm late May evening in 2015. Wes and Sherry are in the lion's share of them. Even though they are gone from our sight, as I glance through those photos it is as if they are sitting right beside me.
I'm so glad that we had the time with them.
It was short and sweet, but at least we were together before it was time to go.
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