Memorial Day 2020

Memorial Day was created to honor all the men and women who have died while serving our country. Like many of my “baby boom” cohorts, both my father and I served during wartime, my Dad in the Pacific in WWII, and me in Vietnam. Luckily for us, both he and I lived well beyond our years in service. But we both knew many, many wonderful Americans who were not so fortunate. For every one of those fallen heroes, and for all of their families, I grieve. That includes all the souls who were never born because their future parent was lost. And that also includes the warriors who were lost fighting for other countries, misguided or not. I am not able to fully grasp the enormity of the tragedy of war. I weep.

As we weep, we also remember. As we remember those we’ve lost in conflicts around the world, we also remember those we’ve lost to all other causes. While memories of those who have died leave holes in our hearts, they also remind us of the warmth, humor, joy and love which those people brought to us during their lives. We have been blessed by the love of those we’ve lost.

Similarly, leaving money for our church can make future spiritual experiences of our friends and loved ones richer, more meaningful, and more important for them. Please remember this as you review your estate plans. Your attorney can add a provision for a new “specific bequest” to your existing estate plan with a single sentence. Please consider asking him or her to do so.