The Healing Field

Before Lynn and I moved to Illinois and before my dad died, Lynn and I took my father on a small trip to the Salt Lake Valley where a town had erected American flags for all the men, women and children who died violently and unexpectedly on September 11, 2001 in New York, Pennsylvania and Washington, D.C. lovingly called, the 'Healing Field'. Another section of lawn was dedicated to the men and women in the armed forces who had given their lives in Afghanistan and Iraq by the summer of 2003. I know the number of military deaths have quad-droupled from the summer of 2003.

We walked amongst rows and rows and rows of American Flags and flags from other countries who had family members perish on Sept. 11th and also from wars in Afghanistan and Iraq as they fought shoulder to shoulder with our troops. The flags waved gently in the breeze. The bright red, white and blue were transcendent and beautiful amongst the blue sky. The scene caused a lump to come to my throat and I could feel the tears begin to flow. Here were the lives of thousands of individuals, each one represented by a flag. Some were at work in their office, others were visiting the Twin Towers on a tour, others were dug down deep in trenches of the heat and sand of Iraq and Afghanistan; and Poof! ..... They were gone!

As we approach the birthday of the United States of America tomorrow, I would like to pay tribute to those brave soldiers who every day fight for our freedom and the free agency of other countries. To the men and women who will not be coming home to the arms of their fathers, mothers, wives, husbands, children, family and friends, but instead were doing, 'what they were suppose to be doing'. May each of us find a 'Healing Field' in our hearts as we celebrate the 4th of July and at the same time remember all those who have sacrificed THEIR ALL for this country!

We are indeed blessed to be living in such a fine land. As many statesmen and soldiers can attest, 'Freedom isn't free', there is always a high human sacrificial cost to maintain the freedom our country has had and we now enjoy in the year 2010.

-Shelly