Month: May 2022

Don’t Forget to Remember

On By Michele Huey, Author & SpeakerIn holidaysLeave a comment
Photo courtesy of Beverly & Pack, flickr.com

“In the future when your descendants ask their fathers, ‘What do these stones, mean?’ tell them . . .” – Joshua 4:21–22 NIV

When three of our grandchildren were on different ball teams (plus one of them umpired), hubby and I were at the Punxsutawney Little League Fields just about every evening. After the sixth game in four days, I told Dean we should park our camper at the ball field.

Back then, the Punxsutawney Little League complex was almost a second home to us, as we spent many a summer afternoon and evening there when our youngest played baseball. Five well-maintained and lighted ball fields for Minor League, Little League, Senior Little League, what we call the “Teener League” field (VFW), and girls’ softball, are located beside Mahoning Creek. 

Each ball field is named for someone local. Some honor those who have devoted much of their time to maintain and improve the fields and the league. Two fields are named as memorials.

The Little League field is called the “Billy Titus Memorial Field,” named after a Punxsutawney Little Leaguer who was killed in a farming accident. 

The VFW League field, the Rich Kuntz Memorial Field, is named for SP4 Richard Lorraine Kuntz, who was killed in action in Vietnam on February 5, 1968, six weeks before his twenty-first birthday.

My grandson once asked me, “Who was Rich Kuntz? Why is the field named after him?” Since I’ve spent half a lifetime at the fields and know the stories behind the names, I was able to tell him. But it got me wondering: How many people drive right by those signs or even say the name of the ball field and don’t realize the significance?

Memorials are built and named so we won’t forget, so those who come after will learn of the sacrifice of the Vietnam soldier, the love a little leaguer who never got to play Senior League had for the game. 

This weekend we observe Memorial Day, a day set aside to honor and remember our military men and women who gave their lives in service to our country. 

Some died in action, some went missing in action and never were found, some died a slow death after they came home and tried to resume a normal life. Some are still alive, but they will never be the same. 

Sadly, these holidays that are set aside to remember and honor those who have stepped to the plate for our country are too often perceived as simply a day off work, to relax, catch up on things, feast and frolic. 

While there’s nothing wrong with any of those activities, let us not forget to remember why we observe Memorial Day.

On the way to the ball field, there’s a grassy field beside the road that’s covered with U.S. flags. Each time I passed it, more flags waved in the breeze. Then one day I slowed down to read the sign. Passersby are invited to place a free flag there in honor of a veteran.

I didn’t have time to stop then, but I made a special trip to that field and placed flags in honor of my loved ones who have served. 

What about you? What are you doing to remember this Memorial Day?

Thank you, Lord, for those who gave themselves to serve, protect, and defend our country. Let us never forget the sacrifices they made. Amen.

Read and meditate on Joshua 4.

From God, Me, & a Cup of Tea for the Seasons © 2018 Michele Huey. All rights reserved. Used with permission.

Guide Rails, Lines, and Notches

On By Michele Huey, Author & SpeakerIn Christian living, UncategorizedLeave a comment
Image by Monsterkoi from Pixabay

All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is right and true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It straightens us out and teaches us what is right. —2 Timothy 3:16 NLT

 It was still dark when I left for work one snowy December morning a number of years ago. A winter storm made driving difficult. Even in our four-wheel-drive, I couldn’t go more than thirty miles an hour. Swirling white flakes pummeling my headlights made it hard to see the snow-covered road. On this secondary road, there were no guide rails to show me where the pavement ended and the berm began. Only occasional arrow signs indicated where there were sharp bends. Although I knew the road well, the darkness and blizzard-like conditions transformed the familiar into the unfamiliar.

Conditions weren’t much better when, ten miles and half an hour later, I reached the main highway. Snow covered both lanes. As I inched my way through the whiteout, a sound like I was driving on chains informed me that I had strayed into the opposite lane.

Guide rails and painted lines are meant to help the driver stay on his side of the road. But not all sections of highway have guide rails, and snow can obliterate the lines. That’s why notches were cut into the middle and the edge of the pavement. When drivers can’t see the lines, the vibration and sound of the tires rolling over the notches tell them when they stray.

God’s Word works the same way. Sudden storms make traveling life’s road difficult and familiar territory unfamiliar. We’re not sure of the way. That’s when we need to slow down and pay attention to the signs God posts in His Word that tell when we begin to stray. If we heed them, we’ll know we’re still on the road and in the right lane.

Thank You, God, for the guide rails, lines, and notches of Your Word that help me find the right way in a world that’s often dark and stormy. Amen.

 MORE TEA: Read and meditate on Psalm 119:97–105.

From God, Me, & a Cup of Tea: 101 devotional readings to savor during your time with God © 2017 Michele Huey. All rights reserved. Used with permission.