Randy and I spent part of the Memorial weekend on a getaway trip for our 32nd wedding anniversary. We spent our anniversary closer to home – had some great food at a restaurant we’ve only been to once – swam in a pool and reminisced about past vacations when the kids were small and remarked about how fast time has gone. I remember when we were first married, we never imagined being like those couples whose kids are grown. Part of me wishes I could relive those days. Part of me is grateful I don’t have to!

The second day of our mini excursion we drove to the eastern side of the state to the shores of the St. Clair River near the Blue Water Bridge in Port Huron. We ate dinner at the Thomas Edison Inn, and I tried the duck with raspberry glaze, which was quite good. We walked along the river with the wind in our faces and held hands like young lovers, glad to have the time together. We toured the city’s museums and had Star Bucks drinks at the Barnes & Noble. Saw Michal still on the shelves placed near The Shack, which seemed like good placement. :)

Last night we came home and watched The Maltese Falcon starring Humphrey Bogart with two of our boys. I’d never seen it before. Good movie!

Today in church we honored our veterans, and this afternoon I was thinking about the veterans in our family. Both of our dads served in World War II and both had jobs involving secrets. Randy’s dad was a courier carrying secret messages from one place to another. My dad was a secret message decoder – I’m not sure what his title was, just that his job was to figure out the message from the code. I don’t think his job was as exciting as it sounds, but by the time I came along, my dad didn’t talk about the war all that much. I did eventually sit down to hear some of his tale, but his memory wasn’t as detailed as my imagination. What did the messages say? Did they ever involve some highly sensitive information? Did he ever save someone just in time because of what he uncovered?

I tend to think in questions and in story. For instance, in one of the museums we visited in Port Huron, I found a letter from a seaman who had been caught in a terrible storm on one of the Great Lakes. (It’s amazing how many ships have gone down on those lakes, how treacherous they can be. “Lake” doesn’t sound as foreboding as “ocean” but they are.) In the letter, the man talked about how they’d lost several men and were waiting for rescue. One boat did come by and according to the letter could have helped, but for some reason decided not to risk it. (Like the Pharisee not willing to help the injured man leaving him to the Good Samaritan.) A Good Samaritan ship did eventually come along to save those who were left, but the men had been waiting three days without food.

I read such things and my mind sees a story complete with visual effects. The way I imagine both dads in their secret duties during WWII. Puzzles are fascinating to me. Perhaps that’s why I like books that keep me trying to figure out what happens next or watching a show that solves a mystery or seek to understand why people act the way they do. I think deep down I’m that little kid that keeps asking their parents, “Why?”

But I suppose that’s part of what keeps life interesting. Though I don’t expect all of my “why” questions to have answers. Someday they will. Someday God will explain things in great detail – we will know as we are fully known – not in the smaller snippets we are so used to now. I’m glad God doesn’t tire of my endless questions, and his memory doesn’t confuse the details. Maybe someday He’ll even tell me what the secret messages were that my dad decoded or my father-in-law carried to protect this nation.

Happy Memorial Day!
~Shalom~