On Memorial Day weekend, the Intramuralist salutes our veterans and those in active duty.<\/p>\n
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I\u2019d like to say the rest of us are empathetic.\u00a0 I\u2019m not sure that\u2019s actually true.<\/p>\n
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You are brave.<\/p>\n
You choose sacrifice.<\/p>\n
You know loss.<\/p>\n
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When those 3 aspects are combined, most of the rest of us pale in comparison…<\/p>\n
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The bravest person I know is my 8 year old son.\u00a0 Having survived a life-threatening illness as an infant \u2014 in addition to the repair of a congenital heart defect \u2014 he continues to know no bounds and uniquely encourages the multitudes, not allowing his disability to equate to a limitation.\u00a0 He both humbles and amazes me.<\/p>\n
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The person I know who has most willingly chosen sacrifice is one of my dear college roommates, Sara.\u00a0 Sara is a determined Air Force Academy graduate who had ample, excellent opportunities awaiting.\u00a0 She and her husband have instead chosen to raise their family \u2014 and live their entire<\/em><\/strong> adult lives \u2014 ministering to a needy, Asian people group, void of authentic hope.<\/em>\u00a0 Sara\u2019s greatest goal is to love the people there well, even though her extended family (and most modern conveniences)<\/em> remain thousands of miles away.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n In regard to knowing loss, let me sympathetically submit that I have sadly known many who have known gut-wrenching grief \u2014 those who have lost spouses, those who have lost children, those who have lost a friend or family member who have meant the absolute world to them.\u00a0 I cannot imagine the depth of the heartache.\u00a0 Yet amidst the agony, I\u2019m uncertain whether any compare to those who have witnessed multiple peers perish beside them.\u00a0 At any given moment, the thought has to go through your head, \u201cthat could have been me.\u201d\u00a0 To see that loss… to experience<\/em><\/strong> that loss… to actually feel <\/em><\/strong>that loss… I would think it would significantly impact your view of the world, your grasp of reality, and your level of gratitude.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n For this Memorial Day weekend, the primary activity of the Intramuralist household is competitive baseball for our older 2 boys.\u00a0 Today, in fact, in my role as an assistant coach, I watched our middle son\u2019s team struggle through what they deemed a painful loss.\u00a0 A few handled their despair somewhat less than maturely.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n With my son in the car on our prolonged drive home, I asked why the drastic change of his countenance.\u00a0 \u201cI hate to lose,\u201d <\/em>he muttered.\u00a0 For an 11 year old boy, I understand.\u00a0 I also understand these young men don\u2019t comprehend real loss.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cSon, perhaps it\u2019s time to instead talk about gratitude,\u201d <\/em>I smiled subtly.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n To those who are brave, who have willingly chosen sacrifice, and who know loss like no other, thank you.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Thanks for teaching us well.\u00a0 A blessed Memorial Day to you… to your families, too.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Respectfully,<\/p>\n AR<\/p>\n <\/p>\n (Originally published on Memorial Day weekend 2010. \u00a0My boys are now 15, 13, & 10. \u00a0P.S. \u00a0They still aren’t all that fond of loss.)<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" On Memorial Day weekend, the Intramuralist salutes our veterans and those in active duty. I\u2019d like to say the rest of us are empathetic.\u00a0 I\u2019m not sure that\u2019s actually true. You are brave. You choose sacrifice. You know loss. When those 3 aspects are combined, most of the rest of us pale … <\/p>\n