~ Soldier Boy ~

'Soldier Boy

Oh, my little soldier boy

I'll be true to you'

I was just  6 years old when that song was a hit. But I remember playing it over and over again and singing along.  It struck a chord with me

Who knew I'd one day be married to my own

Soldier Boy?

Being married to a career military man was not easy.  
Needless to say, it's not a life for everyone. 
So here's a big Salute to all the those who have served and a special thank you to their families too. 

Our family like so many others has pictures lining the walls of family members through the generations who have proudly served our country in the Armed Forces. 

We honor them 

One family member in particular stands out, 

My husband's Uncle Bus

He was destined to live the life less ordinary right from the start. 

After surviving a tragic childhood accident wherein he was burned over 90% of his body
he spent years recovering.

But he grew straight and  strong and was even a Golden Gloves Boxer

He was a champion swimmer & diver

who swam with Johnny Weismueller ( the original Tarzan).  The two of them would challenge one another as they swam between the piers in Lake Michigan.
He was the Indiana Jones of the family. 

Traveled everywhere, took daring adventures,

and came home with fantastic stories 

He was a living legend, whom everyone wanted to be near. 

As it seems with so many of those who grab life and live it to the fullest,

He died all too soon.
 After fighting in both WWII and Korea,  his ship hit a mine and was sunk in Viet Nam.

All that are left now, are the stories we tell . 

And the souvenirs, lovingly carried home from far flung places around the world. 
Like these beautifully carved figurines.
This Happy fellow

And his scary faced counterpart.
The teeth are carved from ivory and fit inside the mouth like a pair of dentures. !!

This pair of beautiful wooden bowls

And this sweet little seashell holy water font

Today we honor our heroes. 

Many from foreign wars long ago

and all the brave souls still fighting today. 
Though there are some larger than life characters, who seem to garner most of the attention
let us not forget

they are all heroes.

And a special thank you to my own hero.



Mr. Wonderful is front row first from the left

My own sweet soldier boy.
to whom I still sing ( off key)

"I'll be true to you. "

~She's a grand old flag...~

"She's a grand old flag

She's a high flying flag......."

She flies over our nation's capitol, over banks, government buildings..

and schools

 

She has had quite a journey in her relatively young life

From those 13 fledgling colonies......

to the moon

 

But it all started here. 

Thank you Bestsy Ross

She led those first brave 'Americans' into battle,
because this simple cloth of stars and stripes represented a DREAM
of a nation that could be.

And  because she continues to represent that DREAM

she has been raised on foreign battlefields



though the  sacrifice has taken a heavy toll

She has been lifted from the ashes to raise our spirits in the aftermath of horror



But on this day  she is lovingly carried in parades in towns large and small.

Little children proudly wave their smaller versions as they line the streets.

so yes, she will take center stage this Fourth of July Holiday
This lovely quote from one of my all time favorites, Erma Bombeck, captures my thoughts exactly.


'You have to love a nation
that celebrates it's independence every July 4th
not with a parade of guns, tanks and soldiers
who file by the White House in a show of strength and muscle,
but with family picnics where kids throw frisbees, the potato salad gets iffy,
and the flies die from happiness. You may think you have over eaten,
but it's just patriotism'.
                                     Erma Bombeck



 I am happy to say she proudly waves from the front porch of 'The Dressed Up Cottage' everyday

And continuing with the song at the beginning of this post
I pray that this particular line of the anthem may live.....

...And forever in peace may she wave

Happy Fourth of July everybody.