Memorial Day 2025

Thunder rolled like the sound of distant guns, a young buzzard picked at the carcass of an armadillo in the street and there you have it. A Memorial Day morning stroll down the sylvan boulevards of Olde Texas to the Pick 'n Steal, aka Shamrock filling station, for coffee and Marlboro Light Shorts. 

There'll be hamburgers on the grill later with good time to be had for all. That said, let's not forget the purpose of the day. Here's a short prayer from the 1928 BCP:

ALMIGHTY God, our heavenly Father, in whose hands are the living and the dead; We give thee thanks for all those thy servants who have laid down their lives in the service of our country. Amen

May they rest in peace and rise in glory,

LSP

Rest in Peace

 

Dallas' Veterans Cemetery is on the far west edge of town, past the Cockrell Hill ghetto zone and getting on to the strange no man's land of the mid-cities connurb. There it is, overlooking what was once a grand prairie, and I pulled up into "Lane 1" to celebrate my friend's funeral.

You've met him, here, as Veteran Crew Chief (VCC). He was a quiet and private man, never loud or boastful, and while he didn't suffer fools gladly he did a lot of good, helping people out quietly, not least his fellow veterans, comrades.

It's a curious thing, "giving the message" to a group of tough people who have done tough things, all under the heat of a Texan sky. What can you do but tell the truth, with a view to consolation, hope, and strength. "My enduring memory of R is this. He approached the Altar with great reverence and humility. I tell you, it humbled me, as a priest."

RS loved the Lord. Rest in peace and rise in glory.

God bless,

LSP