Home.
When I see the grave of an unknown soldier like this one in our city’s cemetery, I try not to think of the sad politics of war and the atrocities humans are capable of committing. No, instead I think of a young man, probably not much older than my own 21-year-old son, who left his home, to protect the idea of home, and for doing so, never returned.
I paused at his grave marking and wondered for a while what he must have gone through fighting in a battle that occurred 100 years before my birth. It seems so sad to die unknown and that his family was never able to receive his remains. So I try hard to imagine what might have been his experience, to remember him and his sacrifice and to give thanks.
And although he is unknown and did not make it back to his earthly home, I like to think he knows he is not forgotten and that he is in his ultimate home.
Home.
This grave of an unknown Confederate soldier reminds me I must never take the privilege of my home for granted.
For more interpretations of Home, check out Weekly Photo Challenge here.
agreed.
Thanks. And thanks for stopping by.
so touching…
And I am so glad you stopped by to see it. Thank you.
Right you are!!!
Felt like I was being sort of a downer about home, which is the happiest of places for me, but I liked the image, and the moment, and it just seemed right for home. Thanks!
Just Perfect
Thank you.
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So heartwarming and moving. Very rightly said and apt for this challenge.
Why thank you. It felt good to honor Mr. Unknown Soldier.
Like your intepretation
Thank you very much, and thank you too for stopping by!
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great post and thoughts…I’d like to think he knows he isn’t forgotten
I like to think so too. Thank you for stopping by and for sending Mr. Unknown Soldier positive thoughts!
What a thoughtful response to the prompt. It is always good to think about the wisdom of war (I hardly see any except as a defensive measure of the last resort) and of the value of life.
It’s just been on my mind, you know. The idea of home and how it is touched by war. I turn on the nightly news and I see thousands of people fleeing Syria, families leaving their homes because they are no longer safe and I am reminded of the relative safety and security that surrounds me in my home and I can’t help but think of those who cannot say what I just have said. I can’t even imagine, and may I not ever have to. Thanks for stopping by and I don’t mean to sound like a bummer!
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What an interesting take on the theme – thank you – it can seem morbid, but it’s very real, and I appreciate that.
I thought about the darker aspect of my interpretation and didn’t mean to be a downer and thus tried not to be, but it did strike me, as you said, to be real and we shouldn’t shy away from real just because it’s not necessarily happy. When I looked through my catalog of images this particular one jumped out at me and reminded me of the importance of not taking home for granted.