Today I write you about something as far from the kitchen as
you can get. And yet, it could be seen as close – in a way. For what I had the
honor of experiencing today is the reason I am able to make what I make. To buy
the abundance of food that I do without any questions, without a man having to
be by my side at all times, without food shortages.
Today I had the honor, the humbling and inspiring experience
of watching my grandfather be buried at Arlington National Cemetery in
Washington D.C. If you know anything about our military, or have watched movies
like Saving Private Ryan you know the
area I am talking about. Row upon row upon row of white marble. Silence filled
with a noise nobody can hear but everybody feels reverberating through their
soul.
Upon entering I was taken aback by the beauty this place
with such sorrow could behold. The view from Arlington Place (Robert E. Lee’s
former home), is truly amazing, looking over the Potomac to the many memorial
buildings of D.C. You are both fascinated by the people who are there, wanting
to shout out the different honors, ranks and dates of those you find, yet your
tongue, your body knows better and you take the name and their honor into your
heart, for that is what is doing all of the thinking here. You think you can
stay strong, and then you arrive at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. To know
that a person is there at this soldiers side every day, every hour regardless
of the weather, regardless of what else may be going on is both heartbreaking
and humbling – yet a smile manages to reach across your face because you know
that even the unknown are never alone.
Our Chaplain, Captain Jason Hohnberger, was a truly
remarkable man. His words made it almost hard to remember that you were there
for a time of mourning. The beauty of the ceremony was endless. From the
procession of soldiers cradling the ashes of my grandma and grandpa, to the
perfection with which they unfolded and folded the flag to present to the
family, to the sound of the salute with rifles and bugle – each moment filled
your soul with pride and awe.
While my eyes welled with tears I had to discern what the
tears fell for. Was it only for my grandfather or was it something more? My
heart told me it was crying not only for my grandfather, but it was crying for
the lives of all who laid there, of what they had done, and even more, my heart
cried because it knew that even though it wouldn’t personally know the future
soldiers that would lay there, deep down it did. For when you gaze upon the
endless rows and columns of white you are gazing at the foundation of your past
and the creation of your future.
This post is simply a reflection on life and the people we
hold in it. How do we hold them close and how often do we reach out and tell
them how much we care that they are in our life? Don’t forget about the ones
you care about or this wonderful life you are able to live.
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