They’re all gone now

They’re all gone now.  All of the toys and all of the items that brought him so much pleasure – – his truck, his motor home, his boat, even his wheelchair – that he wheeled to the end of his driveway every day and watched the world go by.

They’re all gone now – – except for the flag – – the flag that he flew night and day – and the flag that he had fought for – in one of those foreign wars – – the war that left him confined to the wheel chair.

He sat in his driveway every day – rain or shine – wearing the marks of his service on his jacket, on his cap and on his face.  He seldom talked about the war, but it was obvious that its remnants had a major impact on him.

For years I watched him grow older.  I watched as his toys sat unused.  I watched as the neighborhood visitors grew fewer.  I watched as his flag became more tattered.  And I watched as he slowly slipped away.

But, his flag is still flying.  Like him, it is slowly deteriorating and will eventually be taken down.  Until then, I salute it every time I walk by – – in his memory.

(Dedicated to Steve and all Veterans)

(The above story is in my new book “A Storyteller’s Story”.  PM me on how you can get a copy of the book.)