it fluttered in the breeze
A young marine saluted it, and then,
he stood at ease.
I looked at him in uniform so young,
so tall, so proud;
With hair cut square and eyes alert,
he'd stand out in any crowd.
I thought how many men like him
had fallen through the years.
How many died on foreign soil?
How many mother's tears?
How many pilots' planes shot down?
How many died at sea?
How many fox holes were soldiers' graves?
No, freedom is not free.
I heard the sound of taps on night,
when everything was still.
I listened to the bugler play,
and felt a sudden chill.
I wondered just how many times
that taps had meant "Amen".
When a flag had covered a coffin,
of a brother or a friend.
I thought of all the children,
of mothers and the wives,
Of fathers, sons, and husbands,
with interrupted lives.
I thought about a graveyard,
at the bottom of the sea,
Of unmarked graves in Arlington.
No freedom is not free.
--Author Unknown
| A message
from James Watkins |
 |
Friends, this poem written by an unknown author, is so true. Freedom is the most expensive commodity, or blessing, that we enjoy in this great land of ours. When, however, I read of the untimely death of a young service man or woman, I think, as do most of us, of heroism, of his or her willingness to serve our country, even to the point of the ultimate sacrifice. That, however, is a fleeting thought; my prime concern, and the thought that makes me weep is, where are they in eternity? Our world tends to overlook this. This principal thought seems to be: "They are gone, it is over? We now need to restructure our lives". Far from true. The ultimate purpose of their lives is just beginning. Each one who passes is an immortal soul. The only important question, in time or eternity is, where will they be in eternity? Did they have the opportunity to hear of the love of God? Did they know of the healing balm in the precious blood of our Lord? Did they have the opportunity to hear the saving Gospel of Jesus, our Lord?
When I think of this, the Great Commission of our Lord is almost overwhelming. I am grateful to and thankful for so many wonderful people who sacrifice to send the Gospel forth into the lost world. May God's blessings continue with you.
Brotherly,
James W. Watkins