Congratulations Firstborn!!

Our oldest son called to say he gets his Captain's bars pinned on June first! And parents are invited. And there is a cake! And something about the pictures of the cake for first lieutenant bars not being released to cake wrecks until next year. I don't quite get that one, but it has to do with the unfortunate placement of aircraft?!

Andy called at almost 5pm (their time) and I think the grandchild was holding the phone. All of a sudden I heard the trumpet sound. Not trumpet as in the Bible, but trumpet as in through speakers, followed by the National Anthem. Not having experienced this at 5pm their time before, I surmised it must be the Air Force Base's evening call. But, why not taps? Do we save taps for only funerals now? Soon as the song was over, Andy came back on the phone and explained that they pull over, roll down the window and sit respectfully when this happens while in a car. And he said that the grandchild knows to put her hand over her heart.

I got to experience it. By phone. How cool is that?

When I was a little girl, the small town in Illinois had a noon whistle. You just got used to it, and some days you did not even hear it. And in Israel, I read that certain times of year, everyone stops and observes several minutes of silence. The civilian world is missing so much not living by an Air Force Base. Wouldn't it be neat if we all stopped at 5pm and heard the Star Spangled Banner? Or, at sunset, the haunting notes of taps? Day is done. Gone the sun. From the lake, from the hill, from the sky. All is well, safely rest. God is nigh. God is near!