The Frozen Chosen

This morning I attended the funeral of a man named Frank whom I knew as an extremely generous host to the youth group I used to lead.

What I didn't know was that he had served in the Korean War with 10 to 15 thousand people in his Legion. Yes. 10,000 to 15,000. Of those, he came back with 12 other survivors. 13 out of 10,000 to 15,000. The survivors of the area called the Frozen Chosen (named for the freezing cold conditions along the Chosin Reservoir) were called the Chosin Few. That's what we were told at the memorial. Amazing.

And then I think of the history that is lost by his passing. Another friend of mine has been recording the stories of Veterans. An archival project of love as his father served and he wants to keep the stories alive for the next generation. He tells me that he sits every Saturday in a section of the library hoping that a vet will come in. He records them, gives them a copy for their children, grandchildren, great grandchildren in hopes that their stories will continue to be passed on and preserved.

And at times like these, I look around at the people around me and wonder what pieces of history and what stories are hidden in their past, in their present, and in their futures. Remarkable. It is truly remarkable what we allow to pass by us. Then I wonder about Frank. What did he learn from being amongst a very few remaining? How did it change his life? And why, did it take a funeral and his death to appreciate the fullness of what he experienced during his life?

A moment of reflection. To the Chosin Few. To Frank. And to everyone at the Frozen Chosen. Sometimes History doesn't always belong in the past.

Blackout

After sitting in the dark for an hour and a half at work while the powers that be scrambled to get the power back on for the block, you get to thinking. Computers and phones have taken over our lives. Electricity is pretty handy. But hundreds of homeless don't live with it and neither do others in other countries.

And then you think about what really matters. Who and what really matters. What is man made? What is real?

And you think, that sometimes as the lights shine on, we are all really sitting in the dark.