She comes sailing on the wind. . .

I am so in love with French Woods community, friends and neighbors! God bless the Boy Scouts and all who gathered for the raising of the flag at the church cemetery yesterday in memory of soldiers no longer with us. There were prayers to open and close, there were readings and meaningful words and there was singing. There were tear-filled eyes and comforting hugs. There were smiles. From my vantage point I noticed that I could see flag bearing graves from several generations and I marveled at the wondrousness that, in death, there are no generational divisions. I thought about another warm day, before we knew Bob was ill, when a young soldier on leave came to see Bob and they talked John Deere tractors. I hugged that young man that day and said, "Thank you"...all of us innocent of what would unfold in just a few short months and how our journeys would intermingle once again. I thought about how meaningful these ceremonies would be to Bob and how, in a way, he is part of them having selected his spot near the flagpole. And...in my human-ness, something else dawned on me. As my eyes happened upon my own name and birth year, I couldn't help but realize, "Oh, my gosh! Now everybody knows how old I am!" With that, I had to smile, giving thanks once again that not only God has a sense of humor but He has graced us with one, also.

It was a hot and humid bright sunny day with the sweet smell of open fields lingering in the soft breeze. Regardless of season or weather, that breeze is always there surrounding this little country church, easing its way through cracks in the walls and whispering echoes of lifetimes through the evergreens in the cemetery outside. I believe there is a powerful dwelling of the Holy Spirit in that place. These song lyrics come to mind: "...after dawn returned in flame of rising sun, the Spirit touched the earth again, again her wings unfurled, bringing life in wind and fire as she flew on. She comes sailing on the wind, her wings flashing in the sun; on a journey just begun, she flies on."