We're back!!
Well, we're back home now. Sorry about not posting but there's no internet in the Smokey Mountains and I don't own a Blackberry. Posting might be slow as I get back into the news cycle because out of 7 days in the Smokey's I watched about 1 hour of TV. Most of that was Glen Beck and the rest of trying to catch baseball scores. How is it that when I left for vacation, the Cardinals were 3.5 games in first, and when I got back, they are a half game in second behind the Cubs? Has the world gone mad?!?!?!?!
The trip was great! We stayed at a cabin up in the hills down at Gatlinburg. The family reunion was also a great time because I was able to meet parts of Stef's family I hadn't met before.
This last weekend we drove from Tenn. to Penn. for Stef's brother's wedding. It was held at a beautiful church in Derry, Penn. The church was founded in 1729 and still had the original school on the property. The cemetery at the church was walled off because of it's age. Before going through the gate, we read a placard that listed the names of at least 40 Revolutionary War veterans buried there. It was a sobering experience to walk through the cemetery and try to read the names of the veterans. Many gravestones could not be read anymore, but the church has a registry of all souls buried there that I would have loved to have seen.
We celebrate those that have given their lives in defense of our country in WWI and II, Korea, Vietnam, and elsewhere. Sometimes because of all the fireworks, BBQs, and parades on the 4th of July, we forget to remember those that fought to FOUND our country and to ESTABLISH our freedoms. Walking through that cemetery made us remember.
Finally, at the same parish, there was a scroll dedicated to one of the parish pastors that gave his life in WWII. His ship, USS Houston, was sunk by the Japanese near Java. The pastor, after being one of the last off the sinking ship by helping others off, gave up his life jacket to another shipmate who was much younger than he. He was quoted as saying that he had led a full life and was ready to go whereas the young sailor had just begun his. With that, the pastor tried swimming to shore never to be seen again.
Would we do the same if we were in the same situation?
Soon as I find my camera linkup cord, I'll upload some pictures of both the cemetery and the scroll.
The trip was great! We stayed at a cabin up in the hills down at Gatlinburg. The family reunion was also a great time because I was able to meet parts of Stef's family I hadn't met before.
This last weekend we drove from Tenn. to Penn. for Stef's brother's wedding. It was held at a beautiful church in Derry, Penn. The church was founded in 1729 and still had the original school on the property. The cemetery at the church was walled off because of it's age. Before going through the gate, we read a placard that listed the names of at least 40 Revolutionary War veterans buried there. It was a sobering experience to walk through the cemetery and try to read the names of the veterans. Many gravestones could not be read anymore, but the church has a registry of all souls buried there that I would have loved to have seen.
We celebrate those that have given their lives in defense of our country in WWI and II, Korea, Vietnam, and elsewhere. Sometimes because of all the fireworks, BBQs, and parades on the 4th of July, we forget to remember those that fought to FOUND our country and to ESTABLISH our freedoms. Walking through that cemetery made us remember.
Finally, at the same parish, there was a scroll dedicated to one of the parish pastors that gave his life in WWII. His ship, USS Houston, was sunk by the Japanese near Java. The pastor, after being one of the last off the sinking ship by helping others off, gave up his life jacket to another shipmate who was much younger than he. He was quoted as saying that he had led a full life and was ready to go whereas the young sailor had just begun his. With that, the pastor tried swimming to shore never to be seen again.
Would we do the same if we were in the same situation?
Soon as I find my camera linkup cord, I'll upload some pictures of both the cemetery and the scroll.
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