Jewells of Thought

Right after the movie “USS Indianapolis: Men of Courage” came out I bought it. The ship was named after the capital of my home state. It was also a true story although it was hollywood-ized for the big screen. This ship was on a secret mission that would assist in ending the 2nd theater of war; the Asian-Pacific.

However, the sinking of this Navy ship would haunt minds for decades to come. Since I have watched this film every time I go up to Indy there is a sign on the madhouse of I-465 that goes around the city. There is a sign that has the name “USS Indianapolis” I can’t remember specifically where it is or what the sign is meant for other than a remembrance. Scenes from after the explosion from the Japanese almost always come to mind. It’s really hard to not see those images of the sharks and the men in those agonizing days afterward.

This just brought some perspective to the ending of this Holiday Weekend. I only caught the last 45 minutes of the movie, but it was poignant enough to bring tears as I know it did the first time I watched the entire film. I had even forgotten some of the scenes since then too.

Today for my family has been good. We shared a meal together and some of us, not me, but others have even fished. There was also earlier this morning a flat tire to deal with. Yesterday though we did like our family used to do and went to a couple of our family Cemeteries to teach and remember our elders to our younger generation of the family. I still remember Grandpa Freddy showing us all of our familial connections cemetery to cemetery with a parade of cars at each one. It’s why I know and remember the different places our loved ones rest and why I don’t fear Cemeteries because I know that most of my loved ones; their souls are with Christ.