Bob and I planned
to spend the day in Trier, the oldest city in Germany, and at the American Cemetery
in Luxembourg for Memorial Day. We found out our pastor, his wife, some kids
and young people from our church along with the youth pastor and a visiting
pastor were all going to go too. So we all caravanned through wine country
again. We strolled through the Porta Nigra or “black gate” that is the entrance
to that city built by the Romans in the 2nd Century BC.
We ate bratwursts
on brochens(buns) for lunch and walked all over the place til I was very tired.
I wolfed down a cup of coffee and Bob had a coffee ice cream cone made with
Italian Ices – really good, (I took a lick or two.) After lunch, we visited a large
park which had gardens and ruins of the Romans after seeing the throne room of Constantine,
Emperor of the Romans from 400 AD who also accepted Christianity. The Throne
Room is now a church and the history of it is on the walls. I read a little of
it before Bob wanted me to go.
Then we headed out
to the American Cemetery in Luxemburg. I have posted some of these pictures for
you to look at as well. It was sobering
moment to view all the crosses and Star of Davids and realize how many men gave
their lives for our country. There are many of these cemeteries all over the
world. Some are as far away as Manila in the Philippines. There are 5076
tombstones in this cemetery. There are over 10000 in the one in Manila so you
can imagine how many gave their lives.
Many tombstones
only said “Here rests in honored glory a comrade in arms known but to God.”
I read in my Bible
this morning: “He shall enter into peace:
they shall rest in their beds, each one walking in his uprightness.” (Isaiah
57:2)
I wondered as I
walked through the blooming azalea bushes if they indeed died in vain seeing
the deteriorating moral state our country is in today. But then the Lord
reminded me that all this world a will be wiped clean one day when He comes
back to rule it. Then we will practice war no more and true peace will come to
this troubled world.
Two tombstones had
the Congressional Medal of Honor on them. I have a picture here of one of them.
Some had gold lettering on them. Bob asked about that and they told him that it
was sand rubbed into the stone when relatives requested it to get a picture of
them at the tombstone. The sand was from the beaches of Normandy.
And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more
death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for
the former things are passed away. (Rev 21:4)
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