Motorcycles, Thunder, and Heroes Proved

One of our favorite Sunday before Memorial Day traditions is to walk to the edge of our neighborhood and watch the "Rolling Thunder" parade as they head from the local Harley Davidson store to DC.  The thousands upon thousands of motorcycles, mostly bedecked with American and/or POW flags, never fails to inspire me.  Though a lot of the riders exuded a bit of a "rough" exterior, their smiles, waves, and sense of American pride, inspire me to be more appreciative of those men and women through history who have died in the service of our country. 

Seeing their sense of pride in their country as they gather from all over America to honor those who have died in the line of duty, reminded me of a book I am in process of reading right now.   It's called Seven Miracles That Saved America.  It's a fascinating book about episodes in our country's history where when all the odds were stacked against us, the hand of God intervened to preserve our young nation, so that it could become a haven for progress and religious freedom.   Between seeing the bikers' flags waving behind them and reading the book I've been struck with two facts.  Number one being that a lot of things had to fall into place to make our nation as great as it is, and imperfect though it and its leaders may be, our governmental system is pretty darn amazing and I feel blessed to be an American citizen.  And the second fact is that a whole lot of people over the course of our country's history have sacrificed their lives to make America what it is today.

It brings to my mind the words to one of my favorite patriotic hymns:   

O beautiful for heroes proved In liberating strife,
Who more than self their country loved,
And mercy more than life!
America! America! May God thy gold refine
Till all success be nobleness,
And ev'ry gain divine!

Today I am grateful to live in a land where my family can live our lives and worship God the way we feel is right in our hearts.  

God Bless America!

★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★

UPDATE:

• His counts are still low (ANC=28), but monocytes and other blood counts show signs of improvement.  He will likely receive a blood transfusion today.  Spencer is bummed about not being home for Memorial Day, but is optimistic that he will be discharged sometime this week.
• He is feeling great except for being very tired and some mouth sores, which continue to make eating painful.  He uses the "magic mouthwash", which has a numbing effect several times a day.    The sores are mostly on his gums and roof of his mouth this time, rather than in his throat, so he's definitely staying better nourished than he did last time he had the mucositis. 
• Under normal conditions, I rarely watch any tv at all, but lately Spence has been watching several hours a day.  I am now in media overload and wouldn't mind if I never saw another tv again ever. 

★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★

"O, thus be it ever when freemen shall stand,
Between their lov'd homes and the war's desolation;
Blest with vict'ry and peace, may the heav'n-rescued land
Praise the Pow'r that hath made and preserv'd us a nation!
Then conquer we must, when our cause is just,
And this be our motto: "In God is our trust"
And the star-spangled banner in triumph shall wave
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave!"

Francis Scott Key