What Memorial Day Means

Many people think of Memorial Day as a time to fire up the grill, have pool parties, and have fun with family and friends, but few stop to think about what Memorial Day really means.  The definition of Memorial Day is “a day on which those who died in active military service are remembered.” This is how the families of these soldiers think of Memorial Day not with joy but with grief and sadness.  It’s not only on Memorial Day that these families suffer the cost of being a free country; Christmas, Thanksgiving, birthdays, and any traditions that used to bring joy are now filled with sadness. The families aren't the only ones who lose someone they loved.

When the soldiers either chose to join the military or get drafted and die in service, they give up the life they had and the life they would have had. Many of us will never know what it feels like to get shot and die by loss of blood all the while thinking of our family and friends at home.  When many people think of soldiers, they think of men in their 30’s but that’s often not the case. Soldiers can be male or female and soldiers can be as young as 19 when they die in service to their country.

Family friends of the fallen soldier also mourn the loss of a friend.  They are also given the hard task of trying to comfort the family. This can mean making meals, watching their kids, taking them out for coffee, or anything else that they think will help.  This can lead to lack of sleep and other friends might feel like they only like the family who suffered the loss but this is far from true.

Some soldiers die without anyone to mourn over them, no one who loves them, or anyone who cares about them. But if they believe in Jesus, they will know that when they die they will hear Jesus say to them “Well done my good and faithful servant.”  All the worse for anyone who dies in combat and does not know Jesus as their Savior. These soldiers may not have any friends or their friends could have died in combat. Some soldiers get shot while retreating so no one can come back for them. Even after the battle, the military might not go back and look for him/her even though he/she may have received a wound to the leg and may be still alive, but by the time someone sends a search party the soldier has already died.  

There are organizations to help families of fallen soldiers such as Gold Star, which is an organization that helps with giving the family recognition. Another good organization is “Children Of Fallen Patriots” which give the kids of the soldier a chance to go to college even in a one income household.  This organization pays 100% of college costs for these kids.

Many people can see the list of people who died in combat as merely a list of numbers. They may see the list and not care, but every single soldier who dies while fighting in the US military plays a vital part in giving the US its freedom. Never forget the price that was paid for our freedom.  

Our new chicks

The first day we got the new chicks was a little chaotic because when we got home from getting the chicks none of the stuff was set up.  Finally, we got everything set up.  They were so cute.  They grow really fast. The second day some were already getting wings.  One day we decided to weigh them. Our biggest chick was 2 ounces. They were fluffy.  They slept a lot.  Taking care of them is fun.  We invited friends to see the chicks.  They thought they were cute too.

About two weeks later, they stopped just laying around. They've started scratching, pecking the ground. Sometimes when I wake up in the morning, I just sit with pillow and watch the chickens.   Now their wings are big for their size. They mostly peck around. They also enjoy their roost.  About the third day, only one chicken was on the roost. Slowly, more and more chicks have joined the roost. By two weeks, they all like the roost.

We started their temperature at 95 Fahrenheit.  Then we lowered it to 90. We could see they were warm because they moved away from the light and lifted their wings.

2017 Crusaders Soccer Season

This year was my first year playing homeschool soccer. It was really fun. Most of the people on our team also went to our homeschool group. We didn't win any games but the other teams were bigger. I played sweeper most of the time. We had some close games. We played home games at Jordan Soccer Complex and traveled to Raleigh, New Bern, and Wilmington. The homeschool tournament was near Grandma's house so we stayed at Grandma's house during the tournament. My favorite game was the one in the Wilmington and the last game of the season which was in the tournament. We got a lot better throughout the season. I hope to play again next year. We had a really fun end of season party even though it rained. We picked up pizza and went to the Church of the Open Door pavilion where we have soccer practice and E-day.

Ski trip

When we got closer to the ski slopes, my ears began to pop from the altitude. then we saw it- the slopes! when we got there, we could see the slopes. I could smell the snow.  Daddy and I were going snowboarding. The rest were going skiing. I was so excited I could hardly wait. Finally, we began to put on our gear. Then we took the class. An hour later we began to ski and snowboard.  First I went on the small hill. Then I began to grow confidence and go on the bigger hill.  Then I went to the super big hill. It was super fun. We skied almost the entire day. What a fun day! After we finished skiing for the day, we went to the Mellow Mushroom and picked up yummy pizza.  We watched a movie.  Finally after a long day, we settled in and went to bed. The next day we went to Mystery Hill.  That was really cool.  We saw water flow uphill and a ball go uphill.  Then we went to the bubbles and the games.  After that we saw tons of arrow heads in the museum next door.  We went to see an old house in the top of the museum and got some souvenirs.  I got some handcuffs.  On the drive home, we listened to Adventures in Odyssey.  Thankfully, it lasted the entire drive home. When we got home, we were all tired. I was pretty happy to get snuggled up in my bed. The end.