Gone, But Not Forgotten

Memorial Day 2013 - A day of remembrance to those that no longer walk this earth with us. 

Those that have served our country have  given the ultimate sacrifice - their lives - to defend and protect the personal freedoms we enjoy every day.  They were as fierce and dedicated to their country as they were to their family.  They are the epitome of the word hero.

It is also a time to remember those in our families that are no longer with us. Those who touched our lives so deeply and profoundly; some for a short time, some for a lifetime. Those who live on in our hearts and memories, now and forever.

We honor them  through laughter, tears and precious memories.

They may be gone, but certainly not forgotten. 

Gone, But Not Forgotten - Marilyn Ferguson

Gone, but not forgotten
This pain, I cannot hide
In memory, I see you
A million tears, I've cried.

 

The tender thoughts you left me
Come to my memory
Your loving smile, so precious
Will always be with me.

 

You visit me in summer
When flowers are in bloom
Upon a ray of sunshine
A star-lit night in June.

 

When winds are gently blowing
Across a cloudless sky
Within a rolling meadow
Where horse and cattle lie.

 

I see you in the treetops
As summer comes to be
In shadows, you do linger
A soul so young and free.

 

I see you in the garden
Your scent does fill the air
Just like a precious flower
A rose, so ever fair.

 

On country roads, I find you
Along the wooded lane
Within the distant thunder
I see you in the rain.

 

In early hush of morning
You come without a sound
Upon a blazing sunset
Your memory can be found.

 

Like sprigs of morning glory
Upon the vine, they grow
With branches reaching outward
Into my heart, you go.

 

Just like a special angel
God wrapped you in His care
And took you off to heaven
To live with Him, up there.

Checking In

Hey...just me, checking in.  I don't know where the time goes, but its definitely going fast these days.  The end of May is upon us.  Crazy.  This weekend is filled with graduation parties and ceremonies celebrating those that have died in service to this country.  To some people, it's all about the three day weekend.   

My weekend started Friday night by getting together with my brother Terry and sisters and heading down to Ypsilanti to plant flowers at my parents and grandparents gravesite. It was cold, windy and rainy but we went anyway.  With all of us pitching in, it didn't take us very long at all to accomplish the task.  We even had our traditional "toast" to Mom and Dad while we were there.  That always brings a tear to my eye. 

Terry went home but the rest of us headed to IDK to meet up with my nieces Shelly and Lori.  It was Lori's 42nd birthday as well so her family - daughters Abby, Emily and husband  Jason - were there also.   What a fun night!   Some people find going to cemeteries a very  somber affair, and it is.  But when the Schulz's are there, it's a celebration of the life that my parents lived and loved. 

Tom, Ella and I went to the Schutt gravesites on Saturday.  A bit of a difference in attitude.  The Schutts are very stoic people on a good day...but Saturday was even more so.  Ella was in rare form.  She was in a real down mood; everything was very negative and portrayed the air of doom and gloom.  Tom was affected by it.  He doesn't talk a lot anyways but Saturday he spoke even less than normal.  He could at least bail out and go home to do field work for our neighbor.  I still had to take Ella grocery shopping and out for lunch.   It was a loooonnnnng couple of hours.  lol    Needless to say, when I got home I turned on Sirus 80's on 8, cranked it up and started cleaning!   I used all that frustration and took it out on my house.  Boy did I get a LOT accomplished yesterday!  :)  So much so that when I finally had a chance to sit down and relax around 9:30pm, I had a glass of wine...which quickly turned in to four!  Hey!! I deserved it!  AND...AND....there is still some left in the bottle, so cut me some slack, k??!!  :)

Today I had coffee with my friend Becky.  She's one of three great friends I have.  I don't get to see her often enough, although we do talk as often as our schedules allow.  It's graduation in town today.  I had several to go to...however, I forgot the announcements and cards at home on the counter.  (You can keep those comments about age and forgetfulness to yourselves!).

So what's on tap for the rest of the weekend?  Not a dang thing.  Tomorrow is a wing it kind of day.  I'll wake up, drink some coffee and figure it out as the day progresses.  I may go to the gym, read a book, watch a movie or take a nap.  What I won't do is slave away doing housework. 

The Runner

I had the opportunity to ride with a good friend on Friday to go to Fargo and experience the electric energy of The Fargo Marathon.

Although the full marathon wasn't until Saturday, I got to experience the expo and 5K.  It was A. Maz.Ing!!!!

The energy in the Fargodome was positively humming.  There were people everywhere.  Short people, tall people, heavy people, barely there people, old people, young people and really young people, people in costumes, lycra, sweat pants, shorts, t-shirts, sports bras, and every other imaginable article of clothing associated with running. 

My friend had experienced this all before so knew what to expect.   I, on the other hand, had not.  Everywhere I turned, there was something to see. I looked like an owl, craning my neck in all directions so I could see everything.   The expo had all things related to running; health supplements, advertisements on upcoming runs and challenges, sports medicine information, clothing, running accessories, fundraisers, etc.

When it was time to head outside to watch them line up for the 5K, I was in awe.   There were 8,500 people with their bibs on, standing patiently at the line waiting for the start.   The line ran several blocks back and I swear it took at least 5-7 minutes for ALL of the runners to get across the starting line.   And that was just the runners!  There was a separate starting line for the walkers too.  They couldn't start until the runners had all crossed the starting line.  

We stood right at the corner where they turned to come back in to the finish line.   To see the look in their eyes - the focus - on the finish took my breath away.  I turned to my friend and said, "Wow." 

There was this little girl...couldn't have been much more than 10..running her heart out right alongside a man in his 20's as they headed to the finish line.  They were in the top 10 finishers.   And what got me was all the different running strides...long, short, shuffles, glides.  Some ran with music but most didn't.  That interested me because I run with music and can't imagine NOT running without it.

I'm on the injured reserve list because of my  knee/leg.  I haven't run since September.  I recently made the comment that I want to run again if only to go for a leisurely run whenever I want to.  But I have to admit, my running mojo has been waning. 

Not after Friday.  I got caught up in it.  How could I not? 

I haven't run in 8 months....but I am still a runner. 

What is a runner?  "Someone who puts one foot in front of the other at a pace that is faster than a walk." 

What is a racer?  Crazy.   

Call me crazy.