Memorial Day... Lest We Forget what it's REALLY all about.

This may be the one and only post you ever see from me that probably won't offend anyone!  Believe it or not.

Contrary to some beliefs, Memorial Day is not all about picnics and beer... but it IS about those brave souls who gave their ALL for freedom. Yes, the Freedom to be able to have picnics and beer. So many of our brave soldiers have given their lives so we could enjoy what so many of us sadly take for granted. 

It is immensely important that we take a moment sometime this weekend and say a prayer for all those who gave their all. And to pray for those who gave their lives and have no one to remember them, and those who rest in foreign soil in many far corners of the world. 

I personally know several veterans of various wars. My mom's friend, Lou LaGioia, is a veteran of Iwo Jima and was very physically close to the flag raising. He is a hero but insists that the heroes are those who died there. He was on the burial detail and was one who saw the torture inflicted on very young men. They were teenagers and men in their 20s... hero children themselves.  Imagine that for a minute - some of you have teenage kids.  Imagine YOUR 19 year old seeing burned, tortured and mutilated fellow servicemen who had been their buddies, comrades, friends.   

Another friend is a Vietnam veteran who took a very long time to even talk about his war experiences because he was so emotionally wounded. When he finally opened up there was no stopping him and I have listened to him for many, many hours. He won the Bronze Star and Purple Heart.  He is a hero, too but insists that the heroes are those who didn't make it back. 

Yet another, our (great great) nephew, Tony Polichetti, serves now as we speak, in a foreign land and far away from those he loves. I pray every day for his safe return to his loving family. Thankfully he will be home in not too long a time. And there is also another (great) nephew, Matthew Polichetti, who recently joined the Marines.  There is another friend and co-worker of mine in the Air Force who served a few tours in Iraq and Afghanistan.  

Bravery is a weird thing and has many interpretations... but there is no greater love a man has than to lay down his life, or be willing to lay down his life for his country and to protect the freedom which costs so much. Just for instance... 

As Gunny Hiway said in "Heartbreak Ridge" (one of my favorite movies),  "Jumping out of a perfectly good aircraft is not a natural act"...  and I think that people who do this are crazy bordering on insane. But that does NOT MEAN that I don't absolutely know that every man who was a paratrooper in WWII was a stone cold HERO. It only means I couldn't do it. 

But then again, most people didn't want to transport prisoners and sit behind a desk for Uncle Sam for 37 years. But I did it. Veterans, especially those who gave their ALL, public servants, whether paratroopers, US Marshals, local police, firefighters and first responders... take a minute this weekend while you celebrate, and say a little prayer. For them, for us. Thank God for giving us those who gave their all, and thank the soldiers and veterans you see today. It means more than you think.  I can't tell you how many times a young Marine has stopped the aforementioned Lou LaGioia, shook his hand and thanked him for his service.  It takes so little effort to make someone's day.

Shake their hands, give them a smile, say Thank You, and if you're in a restaurant and can do it, PICK UP THE CHECK. Get your sorry butts to Arlington National Cemetery and see the Changing of the Guard. Go to DC on a Tuesday night to the Iwo Jima Memorial and see the U.S. Marine Drum and Bugle Corps and the Silent Drill team. Its all good. 

Thanks for listening. Thanks, veterans. God bless you all. You ARE loved. 

Another Rant... Are you in THAT MUCH of a hurry?

As many of you know, I am a practicing Catholic.  Lou is, also.  This past Saturday, he went to the 4:00 PM Mass at St. John Bosco, our parish.  I went on Sunday morning to the Carmelite Monastery in Philadelphia.  Our rant is thus:  And here's the warning, if you're easily offended, STOP reading now.  If you read on, and it applies to you, and you're offended, GOOD.

Lou, as I stated, went to the Saturday Mass at 4 pm which is heavily attended at St. John Bosco.  I mean HEAVILY attended.  I will assume most people are going because of their obligation, or because they want to, or whatever.  Here's the point...

The good God gave us life, blessings.  We have enough to eat, a roof over our heads, and are clothed.  Most of us have good families and wonderful friends, and people we love, who love us in return.

What God has for us is LIMITLESS, unconditional and absolute love.  Think of how your dog loves you, but make that love boundless and eternal. You could leave the dog after scolding it, and then come back five minutes later, and guess what, that dog still loves you.  You can leave God after sinning, and then come back after thirty years (as we did) and guess what, that God still loves you.  Maybe that's why GOD spelled backward is DOG.

Think of how you feel if you see someone you love that you haven't seen in a long time.  You hug, kiss, smile, laugh, and are joyful and happy.  When we walk into God's house, I like to think He is happy to "see" us.  I like to think that if I make a visit to the Adoration Chapel, it's like a surprise visit to someone who really REALLY wants to see me.  It's my way of "befriending" God and keeping a close relationship with Him.

Here goes...  WHY must people go to Mass, go to Holy Communion, which is reception of God Himself, and head STRAIGHT for the door to get out as if someone were chasing them?  What, you can't stay for the last FIVE minutes to receive the blessing?  Are you in THAT much of a hurry to just get out of the parking lot?  If a missed friend came to see you and made you happy, and you give of yourself to them, why would you be happy to see them RUN full speed out of your house?

Well, I think for a person to go running out of the church with Communion still in their mouths is not only disrespectful to the Sacrament, but it is, in my opinion, downright sacrilege.  What, are you SO damn much in a hurry to beat traffic out of the church lot that five more minutes are going to really matter?  And to leave without the blessing?  Seriously, are you SO important that you can't give God five more minutes?  After all He has given you?  Really?  He gives unconditional love, and you can't give (not even) an hour?  Wow, you must really think you're important.

My childhood pastor at St. Barnabas Church, Father Joseph LaRue, would STOP on the altar and call you OUT.  "Hey Mister, WHERE do you think you're going?  SIT DOWN."  Sometimes I think it's a shame that the fire codes prohibit locking the doors.

Think about what you're doing the next time you think that five minutes is going to REALLY matter.  What are you rushing back to?  Work?  House full of noise?  House full of chaos?  Housework?  You can't WAIT to get back to that, huh?  You afraid you're going to miss Early Bird at Warminster West or the Red Lion?  Suck it up, cupcake.

By the way, at the Carmelite Monastery, NO ONE leaves till after the recessional hymn.

OK, rant over.  (for now).