My
thoughts over the Memorial Day weekend were on freedom. I know that
this is hardly a bolt from the blue, given that Memorial Day is all
about remembering those who have paid the supreme sacrifice for the
preservation of our country and its ideals. But, as I traveled across
the Midwest
this past Saturday and Sunday, enjoying the view from the car, I was
struck again by the beauty of our country. As the miles rolled by, I
felt again a clear understanding of the enormous breadth of our nation.
And, as my son-in-law Mike expressed, "we must be thankful that we live
in a country where we are free to just get in a vehicle and go."
Anywhere.
As my oldest grandson Kirkland, my son-in-law, and I were driving to near the West Virginia line, my wife, daughter and two other grandsons were driving to Missouri. My car load was bound for a wild hog hunt in southeast Ohio, my wife’s vehicle was heading for St. Louis to
the Zoo and Science museum. It struck me that, here was my family going
in two different directions, traveling hundreds of miles across our
great nation, never hindered by armed guards at check points, travel
documents, or visas. We just put the keys in the ignition, pointed the
car in right direction, and drove. We crossed one state line after
another with ease and freedom. And we enjoyed the scenic view along the
way.
The
scene changed constantly as the ribbon of blacktop passed quickly under
us. We witnessed the growing green fields of corn and beans. The amber
fields of ripening wheat.The rivers and creeks were blue and green, and
fishermen and boaters alike were out in force. The
flat plains eventually rose to become rolling hills. Set against a
clear blue sky, the varying green peaks of southeastern hills put a
crick in our necks as we stretched to see the tops.
Horses
and cattle grazed in pastures that were wrapped in white or black
wooden fences. We passed through quaint villages of old brick buildings
and painted clapboard houses, with folks sitting on their porches. We
saw cityscapes with high rises pointed skyward, looking for all the
world like a steel and glass Stonehenge.
From major metropolitan areas to tiny towns lost in another age and
time, we rode through the heartland and admired the great diversity of
our country.
Both
carloads of us kept abreast of the others travel by an exchange of
texts, pictures and phone calls that reached out over three states. I
received pictures of my wife Patty, daughter Melissa, and grandsons
Kameron and Karter as they explored the zoo, took in the museum, and ate
at various restaurants through their two day travel. I sent pictures of
rolling livestock-grazed hillsides, a covered bridge, the hunting
lodge, and of course the 450 pound wild hog that Kirkland harvested with his bow. My daughter, Jennifer, and her family crossed their home state of Kentucky
for a little road trip. We were all states apart travelling freely,
speaking to each other freely, and loving the family time adventures.
All because we were free to enjoy it, as law abiding citizens of the United States of America.
We enjoyed our holiday weekend, on separate trips together. As
a Desert Storm veteran, I understood that the time we were enjoying had
come at a cost, and that brothers and sisters in the military continue
to this day to safeguard our liberties. I loved seeing our flag flying
at every turn. From cemeteries and village street corners, to grand
residences and humble country shacks, many folks displayed the red,
white and blue with pride and patriotism.
As
we made our way back to the Chicken Ranch, lines from our national
musical heritage kept playing in my mind, “Oh beautiful for spacious
skies, for amber waves of grain, for purple mountains majesties above
the fruited plain..” and from our National Anthem “Oh say does that Star
Spangled Banner yet wave, o’er the land of the free, and the home of
the brave.”
What a place this America is. What a people we Americans are.
What
a grand and wonderful right we possess. This right that we oft take for
granted, enjoy all our days, and will fight to the death to maintain.
How wonderful... this thing we call FREEDOM.
Mike and Kirkland Chappell. The day before Kirkland harvested a 450 pound wild hog with his bow. A fun Memorial Day trip for us all.
