It’s a special day at Emanuel. The cool factor of the date’s format this year is eye-catching, but not really worth celebrating. The fact that this day happens to be what my grandparents used to call Armistice Day, and we call Veteran’s Day, is surely worth a moment of pause. That is why we chose today to honor not only all veterans, but also all grandparents as we hosted Grandparent Day at Emanuel.
The morning began with our Friday all school worship, and it was wonderful to worship this week with our school family joined by so many grandparents that we almost filled up the church. It is so encouraging to sing praises to the Lord of all generations and join in hearing and learning from his word whether we are four or eighty-four. The Lord speaks in Joel 1:3
Tell it to your children,
and let your children tell it to their children,
and their children to the next generation.
Isn’t that what our school is all about? We daily assist parents to carry out this command and with joy we lovingly prepare the foundation of the next generation. What a privilege we have!
After visiting classrooms, the gym became the stage for a short patriotic program in observance of the day. Each classroom added a special touch to some of the familiar songs of our American heritage.
Please enjoy some of the photos of the day. May God bless all our grandparents and veterans alike! After the slideshow I have included a little about my favorite veteran.
On a personal note……
This is a photo of my favorite veteran. Framed against the beauty of the Swiss Alps stands a soldier of WWII who served his country during the battles in Europe and, through God’s protection and in accordance with God’s will, he later returned home to marry a young lady that had lived around the corner from his childhood home in Neenah, WI. He would become the father of five children who learned about love of country and family through him. He would never want to be termed a hero, yet had been awarded a handful of medals that we played with on those days we discovered the treasures of our attic.
Although I miss him since he went to be with his Lord and Savior five years ago, being buried on another 11/11, I’m thankful I got to know him as I realize many soldiers do not return from their battles. So, thanks for allowing me to share with you today my favorite veteran, Roy Murray Douglas, my dad.
Dad on Leave near Swiss Alps
