The Last Full Measure Of Devotion

Abraham Lincoln in his famous Gettysburg Address referred to the slain warriors as having given “the last full measure of devotion”.  Such a poignant few words and, oh, how true they are!

A few years ago, my husband, Dennis, and I were planning a trip to Ireland to attend a family wedding.  We were thrilled to be going and felt that it was going to be a wonderful trip.  It came to us that we should perhaps go to one other country in Europe whilst there, so, having  lived in London as a child and travelled a fair amount in Europe, I asked Dennis where he would like to go.     Well, he thought about it and mentioned that he had always wanted to visit Normandy.  Now, Normandy certainly would not have been my first choice of a second place to visit but I could see that he really wanted to go there and so, after an absolutely amazing week or so in Ireland – a week full to the brim of love, joy and abundant living (the Irish are such generous, warm, hospitable people) – we flew into Paris, stayed there a few days and then rented a car and drove down to Normandy.

Now, I feel I must mention that getting out of Paris was not the easiest of things to do.  In fact, it presented us with unforeseen challenges, and our French speaking GPS system was not as helpful as it could have been!  At one point I found myself driving down a one way street the wrong way at which point we had to totally stop and gather our thoughts before going any further.  We happened to find a very kind French gentleman who stopped the traffic in order that we might be able to turn around and then, after trying to explain to us how to get out of Paris and onto the right road, he asked us in broken English to follow him.  He led us right to the entrance to the road.   How grateful we were!  Who ever said that the French people were not helpful?!

Our drive was uneventful once we got out of Paris and a few hours later, we found ourselves in Normandy.  We decided that our first stop should be the American Cemetery.  The American Cemetery is a vast cemetery in Normandy, looked after by the USA where, once you enter, all you see is lines and lines of beautiful white marble  crosses with the odd white marble Star of David interspersed.  There are around 9300.  Dennis and I parked the rental car and walked over to the entrance of the Cemetery and entered.  As we walked into this sacred place, the bells started playing “America The Beautiful” and all we could both do was to stand there, in absolute awe, with tears streaming down each one of our faces.  It was such a moment of gratitude and reverence to each and every one of these soldiers who had given their lives for their country and the freedom of the western world.

There is a museum and a theater right there which told us of the story of the invasion of Normandy and made us realize what a huge part the Americans, English and Canadians, united, had in ending the Second World War.   The end all started in Normandy when Normandy was invaded by sea.  The plan had taken a couple of years to come to fruition and was all done in secret.

Needless to say, this trip to Normandy was such an eye and heart opener and has left an indelible memory in my thought and, yes, I am so grateful to Dennis for having wanted to go there!

On Monday, Memorial Day, our thought goes to all of those amazing men and women who have given their lives, “the last full measure of devotion” to ensure freedom.  Our hearts overflow with gratitude for each and every one of them.