On this Memorial Day, my thoughts go to my dad. He entered the Army Air Corps as a private and served in World War II. His service continued through the Korean War and Vietnam. He was commissioned as an officer and retired as a Lt. Colonel in the US Air Force. I’m very proud to be his son.
Last year, I participated in a unique “Art as Spiritual Therapy” retreat at the Catholic Conference Center. As part of the retreat, people brought little mementos of their departed loved ones. After my dad died, I became the keeper of a few boxes of medals, pins, dog tags, and other little items he treasured. These rested in the forgotten recesses of a hall closet floor for years.
I brought them to the retreat and attached them to the premier symbol of remembering, a cross (see photo). As I handled each piece I’d reflect upon what these meant to him, and what they meant to me. It was a healing experience. My grief moved from the sadness of death to the mystery of life after death. My heart moved from all that I had lost to all I had gained. My thoughts shifted from regrets of the past as a wayward teenage boy to thanksgiving for the present and all the virtues he modeled for me. The mosaic cross hangs proudly by my bedside table, where I see it each evening when I go to bed.
As I write this, I am humming the song we sang at his funeral Mass, “We Remember” by Marty Haugen. In it, I hear the dual meaning of remembering the death of the Lord and remembering the death of another loved one:
We remember how you loved us to your death,
And still we celebrate, for you are with us here;
And we believe that we will see you when you come,
In your glory, Lord, we remember, we celebrate, we believe.
Memorial Day is a day to remember. We can remember those who sacrificed for us in the military, but also remember those who have sacrificed their lives for us in various other ways. My dad did both. On this day, maybe look for some creative way you can remember the people who loved you ’til their death’.