I don't think neither me nor AFSister wrote about this. The first night we (me, SK, and AFSis) were in Washington, DC, we had a Moment.
See, our hotel was REALLY close to Ft. Myer, Arlington Cemetery, and the Iwo Jima Memorial. I'm talkin' within walking distance.
So me and the girls are kinda puttering around Thursday night, drinking a little (ok, a LOT) of beer and being silly. I think I was near the windows when I hear the first few notes of Taps.
Talk about a chill running down your back.
I haven't been on a military base in a long time, but I knew what time it was. End of the day. Not end of the work day, but the last call for the day in terms of music on a post.
The times I've always heard it was 10pm, but this was at 11. So that kinda threw me off. I questioned myself. Maybe this was a late funeral, a private one at Arlington. Maybe it was some secret thing they do at Iwo Jima after the tourists leave. But I knew what it was. Deep down, I really did.
And that took me back to when I was a child. Standing for Retreat, no matter where I was outside. Stopping and showing respect for the flag. Knowing where the main flag was on every base I ever lived on. Knowing which direction to face when I heard the music start up over the loudspeaker at 5pm most days of my first 24 years of life. Lying in bed late at night and hearing that haunting music of Taps.
All of those sounds are echoes of my childhood. Such an uncommon life, but one that I share with a very special group of people.
Anyway, I guess I just wanted to share that with you. That moment of hearing the music and being throw back to my youth. For most people (and me sometimes too), the song signals the laying to rest of a hero. But it doesn't always have to be sad and forlorn. It can be just an ending to the day. A chance to face the world again in a few hours of rest. A chance to look out and to move forward and to do the best that any of us can do.
Monday, May 21, 2007
Going Way Back
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4 comments:
You supposedly got to church.....And you drink alcohol? Not a very good Christian life.
Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother's eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye?--Matthew 7:3
I'm pretty darn sure I know who you are so move along if you have nothing better to say.
Alcohol is, in and of itself, a neutral object. It is neither inherently sinful, nor inherently good. It just "is." It is between each individual person to discern God's will for their lives in this area.
Furthermore, such snide & self-righteous comments as these (done anonymously, no less)do absolutely NOTHING to draw people closer to Jesus. It REPELS them instead. The Word says is is the KINDNESS of God that leads us to repentence...NOT heavy-handed, snarky judgmental comments.
Dear Anonymous,
You ever hear the words "Judge not, lest ye be judged"? Something tells me that you better work on your own pitiful life, because YOU will be judged. I don't think you'll come out looking all that good either. I prefer to spend time with Christians like Kat, who make those like you look small and petty.
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