The Laughing Wolf

Last Wishes, And Making One Come True

I have no wish to be morbid during this season, but a number of things – including this post – have conspired to continue a train of thought dealing with such subjects. This morning, I want to explore it a bit further because sometimes one of the best gifts you can give those around you is clear direction.

For the most part, I’ve already done that for those friends who are my executors. To be honest, I’ve had a will and funeral plans since I was about 14-years-old. The will was mandated by my parents, because of inheritance laws and the fact I owned property at the time. The funeral plans were just something we had always discussed, not in dread but in matter-of-fact terms. One of the first words I learned in this life was “cemetery”, a fact used against my Mom with deliberate humor on more than one occasion. In her defense, she was, among many accomplishments, a genealogist and one on the hunt for some information. The net result was that we stopped at many country cemeteries looking for graves for a decade or so.

One result of this was that for many years I had no fear or bad feelings towards them. I did eventually get some of the normal childhood fears, but they were thankfully short lived. To me, they are simply places with some being beautiful and some leaving a lot to be desired. The older I get, the less it concerns me where the rotting meat that once was my home lies. Indeed, because of things I’ve done I rather suspected that I might end up with a cenotaph rather than a tomb, and that fact no longer bothers me. The tomb is not the home and I will not be there, so…

When I was young, I had lots of last wishes and like most they mostly were about taking it with me. Favorite stuffed animals, food (gee, big surprise), Roman coins, and more came during that phase. Today, other than a humorous request to sprinkle my ashes over a nudist colony filled with good looking women, I have none. Do what is needed to make those left behind happy or easier about things.

Yet, a soldier had one that we need to honor, for it is not about him. It is about making a point to those left behind. It is a way to bring comfort in so doing. It is a way to remember both the individual and all those who die so that we can be free.

Go here and read the magnificent post by Blackfive. Then, call, visit, and e-mail – all three – all the local stations you can. Don’t just go country, do it to all. I’ve heard so many stations and shows pay lip service to supporting our troops; now, they have a chance to put words into something tangible. Find out how serious they are, or if they are just blowing smoke, and make this happen. Bear in mind who blows smoke, and who does not, and let it shape your actions. First, though, let your actions be to let them know of this and that you will be listening and sharing.

Let us honor this request, the soldier and family behind it, and keep in mind that freedom is never free.

LW