Farm Accident Digest
Site HomeMay 31st, 2004
Funerals in my family, and I suspect many of yours, are a time to celebrate life. Yes, there are many, many tears, but also so much laughter and remembrance of life and life well lived. Twelve years ago one of my cousins was killed in a freak accident. After the funeral, as the family gathered, the mood was very dark. Too dark, my grandma thought. So she was going to change that. To lighten the moment, she grabbed someone's cap, put it on sideways, grabbed a beer (grandma didn't drink beer), raised it up high and let everyone know it was time to get back to life. Someone took a picture of her in that moment. There is my grandma, in her mid 70s at the time, looking ridiculous in this cap with beer raised, but with a look of purest defiance on her face. Not anger. Not sadness, though there was plenty of that, but defiance.Today is our national "funeral". For some it is direct and so dearly immediate. We celebrate those who died for the specific purpose that we may continue to live as we would. They died so that we can continue to argue. They died so that we can continue to try to perfect this nation and ourselves. They died so that there can be life and life well lived.
In celebration of their sacrifice, I will continue to live my life in defiance. I will live in defiance of anyone who thinks they can tell me how to live. I will live in defiance of anyone who wants to kill me because I refuse to bow to their demands when all I want to do is be left and leave alone. I will live in defiance of all who hate people who live and act in their random freedom. I will live in defiance with all thanks to them who gave their ultimate for their nation.