I took two walks recently. The first came into vastly more focus…only after the last.
I walked our Long Beach sands and life kissed my cheek with the softness of newborn down.
Yes, sometimes I walk the beach and just like all of you, I’m just glad to be alive. I’m happy to feel the sun on my face, to inhale the salty air.
But other times, when I’m more aware of the flip side, the under-the-lawn-side of existence, the sun above is even kinder, warmer, the sea air fresher. I see the beauty of all that is around me with incredible gratitude.
To feel this appreciation consider a walk in a National cemetery amongst the white stones, where the silence speaks so eloquently. How it speaks of this sunny side and the life-stuff we too often take for granted.
Recently, I saw oystercatchers protecting their young from roaring steel and an encroaching…me.
I saw words flowing onto pages amidst terns and the sea. Perhaps words of promise, words of love, perhaps children too.
I saw a treasurist seeking new finds with love just behind him…unfolding in a blossom of white.
Friday, the beginning of our Memorial day weekend, I took a second walk. I strode the silent grasses lined with warriors who protected our lives in the sun.
Long Island National Cemetery, Farmingdale, NY
White tablets stood tall in precise formations, a parade of protectors who fell for you and me.
I saw names of the fallen: Clendenning, Argentine, McComb…and Buckley.
Five years ago I made a YouTube video of one warrior, Gregory T Buckley, when his grave was new and his family’s grief so raw:
This day his grave stands as a testament to the love that family forever keeps.
This weekend we remember, we barbecue, we drink, we laugh. We live in a country kept free by these warriors.
To better appreciate every day of life…consider a walk among those no longer can. Listen to the silence that speaks.
Listen…and love even more. Listen…and appreciate even more…all of them. They served for all of you.
Be well,
Lee
Shedding a little light wherethesundontshine
See my sister site:https://leebythesea.me
Categories: Memorial Day, Uncategorized
Wherethesundontshine.net 
Lee, I love your photos but I really love the commentary. God bless you, you lift my spirit.
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Hey, Walter , so sorry I missed this comment. Thanks so much for the very
kind words. Lee
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