"Remember Me"

This weekend coming is Memorial Day, and I hope that all of my readers will have a great holiday, and stop for a few moments to remember and honor the men and women who gave their lives defending our way of life and keeping us safe.

I was thinking about what to write today, and the words, "...remember me," came to my mind. Some time ago, I was invited to speak to a group of pre-school children about the work that Desert Ministries is engaged in. Well, how do I explain all this to someone so young?

As I looked across the room at all the young bright-eyed, smiling faces, I asked them, "How many of you were brought to school today by your parents? A majority of those tiny hands went up almost immediately.

Then I asked them, "Has your mother or father ever forgotten to pick you up from school?" Again, quite a few hands went up. I asked, "How did you feel about that?" One girl spoke up and said, "Scared!" Another child piped up and said, "Afraid!" And yet another piped up and said, "Alone!" These responses led to an avalanche of responses from the rest of the children. Each one identifying with the terrifying fear, the feelings of being vulnerable, and the feelings of fear when one is forgotten.

Once the children quieted, I looked at them, and the adults who were standing in the back of the room, and quietly said, "That's exactly how someone feels who lives in a nursing home."

Remember them.