My remembrance day for Memorial Day started the morning of May 22 when individuals from our church placed American flags on the graves of veterans laid to rest in the cemetery next to our church’s property. With flags in hand, we walked the cemetery to find all the places which needed to be recognized.
Many of the veterans have a plaque on their stone or a plaque inlaid in the ground. Only a few had the recognition info on the stone itself which we needed to take extra care to scan for. Only two known veterans had no information related to their service, but we placed a flag anyway.
I was honored this year to place a flag by the graves of my father-in-law, a neighbor and two other church members. Normally I don’t walk that section of the cemetery, but I did this year. I remembered their lives and the service they rendered for our country.
On Memorial Day, we always hold the first picnic of the summer season. That was true again this year. With lots of people gathered on the farm, we enjoyed a delightful time together. Some picnickers were newbies while others were family and friends of old. With plenty of food to fill the crowd, we remembered how blessed we are to live in this country.
With the U.S. celebrating its 250th birthday this year, it presented the opportune time to create several different projects with the red, white and blue theme. One of those projects was sewing clothes for the four oldest children living on the farm. I had 4 yards of material that would fit the occasion perfectly. So in two days, I managed to whip up a dress, a skirt, a pair of pants and a pair of shorts. Of course, the last three didn’t take long to do. The dress caused me to dust off the cobwebs of my brain to remember different sewing techniques, but it all came together at the end.
Gail loves the Lord most of all. She delights in her calling to be a wife to Ed Malick and a mother to seven children and grandmother of 19. Ed is the sixth generation on the homestead family farm in Ypsilanti Township, Michigan.
Seeds of Hope
A new preacher came to town. Each day on his way to the post office, he heard a man whistling happily and loudly. One morning the preacher stopped to speak to the man working in his yard. “Why do you whistle so loudly when you work?” asked the preacher. “For my wife,” he answered. “She is disabled and blind. I want her to know as she sits alone on the porch that I’m always close by and available.”
Our Lord is just like “the whistler” – always nearby and available. Sometimes life has a way of piling up on us until the weight feels crushing. We often try to carry everything ourselves, yet the more we carry the more exhausted we become. There is a better way. Although we may not hear Him or see Him, God is always present in our world. He invites us to release every single care into His capable hands. He does not ask us to sort through our worries first or fix what we can before coming to Him. He simply says, “Give them all to Me.”
Every fear about tomorrow, every regret from yesterday, every ache in the present, He wants it all. Nothing is too small or too overwhelming for Him. Today, open your hands. Let go of what you have been holding so tightly. Trust the One who cares for you more than you can imagine. He is ready and willing to take every burden and replace it with His perfect peace.
Today’s Prayer: Father, may we always sense Your presence in our lives and Your love that surrounds us. In Jesus’ name, amen.
Today’s Scripture: Give all your worries and cares to God, for He cares about you.
1 Peter 5:7
This article originally appeared on Farmers Advance: Flags, family and festive fabrics: Honoring our veterans and celebrating our blessings
Reporting by Gail Malick, Farmers’ Advance / Farmers Advance
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
