By Doug Creamer
They Gave Everything
I took advantage of the long weekend to paint our hall bathroom. It needed a good refresh. I had forgotten how long all the prep takes for painting. I washed the walls and had to take everything out of my way. I also taped along the edges, which takes time initially but saves time in the cleanup. The paint companies promote “one coat coverage,” but I like to put two coats on for a better outcome and appearance. I finished the second coat on Monday afternoon. I am waiting for it to dry so I can start putting the bathroom back together.
My mother loves to paint. I think it is work and it involves bending and getting up and down off the floor. I am not as young as I used to be and it takes a little more effort to get up and down. I haven’t painted the woodwork yet. The freshly painted walls are making it look like it needs paint, too.
I am planning to paint the main bathroom the next time I have a day off. Our main bathroom is larger and I probably need the time to recover before I tackle it. While I do not think I am getting older, my body tells me a different story when I get involved in projects.
The reason I decided to work on this project was because of the long weekend. Memorial Day weekend is the traditional kickoff of summer. The weather has been up and down but in a few more weeks we will be wishing for some cooler weather. Summer is a great season as we will soon be enjoying all the treats from our vegetable gardens. It won’t be long now. Good things are on the way.
Memorial Day can sometimes get lost in the rush into summer. Memorial Day is a special day that we set aside to remember those who gave their lives in sacrifice for our country. They lost their lives while fighting for and defending our great nation. We get to live with all the rights and freedoms that our nation provides because they were willing to stand up for us.
We have some veterans in my family line, but I am unaware of any who died while serving our nation. That is not the case for many of my readers. Many have loved ones who have paid the highest price for our country and I want to thank you and your family. Losing a loved one anytime is difficult, but losing them while they are serving our country must create a pain that is hard to endure, and again I thank you!
Currently it is a choice to serve our country through one of the military branches. A number of my students have graduated and gone into the service and I respect their choice. We had JROTC at some of the schools where I taught and I always enjoyed seeing the students grow and mature in that program.
We need to honor all who serve our country, but we must never forget those who paid the ultimate price for our nation. We must also remember the suffering their families have endured for us. We are truly blessed by their sacrifice. We are also blessed by the sacrifice some have made to spread the gospel of Jesus Christ. Ten of the twelve disciples were martyred for trying to spread the Good News. Their only crime was trying to tell people that Jesus and God the Father love, accept, and forgive them and how to find salvation through faith in Jesus.
In the 2000 years since Jesus was here, there have been many others who have died because they wanted to help people find the way to salvation. Jesus came so we could be in a right relationship with God. Sin separates us from the goodness of God. Jesus made a way through His death on a cross. Now anyone who repents and asks Jesus into their hearts can have peace with God and know they will spend eternity with Him in heaven.
If you have never received Jesus as your savior, then I want to encourage you to open your heart to Him. If you have received Jesus, then I want to encourage you to share the Good News with the people in your life. The Good News is that Jesus fixed our broken relationship with God and offers us the gift of eternity with God in heaven. That’s Good News for each of us and Good News that we can and should share with others.
Contact Doug Creamer at PO Box 777, Faith, NC 28041or doug@dougcreamer.com
