Memorial Day Reflection
I was born in the city of Cleveland, Ohio. My father, a husband, father of
three, butcher, steel worker, WWll Veteran, is now living in the Sandusky Veteran's
Home and every day I thank this facility for giving father such good care.
I am not a stranger to what post-traumatic stress is as one of
my parents is a war veteran who fought in a globally recognized war and when
you grow up with a war veteran you learn about survival skills at a young
age. My father was not the only veteran
I spent some time living with. I grew up
during the Vietnam Era and at the age of about 10 years old my eldest sister
and her husband returned home to live in the family house until they could get
back on their feet. My brother-in-law
returned from the Vietnam War after fighting in the Battle of Khe Sanh. Dear Dan had a slow recovery as he was
trained to investigate and fight at the sound of a drop of a pin and did live through a horrific battle. Needless to say, at the age of 10, I tiptoed
around the house.
Below is one story among many stories Dan shared about his
time in the war. Of course, this story
is hearsay and it was a long time ago but hopefully you get the idea. One of my curiosities in life is how mental
states of being come into existence.
The story goes like this;
Sometimes I (Dan) would follow the monks into the jungle. I was in military gear and carrying a gun and
They (the Monks) would just walk on by and go into the jungle and sometimes I
would follow them. The monks would pray,
chant and engage in practices and rituals.
I had no idea what their practice was all about but I do know that a
peace would come over me. One day one
monk placed this medal around my neck and said be safe.
I was gifted with this medal and I have always been curious
about the teacher, saint or guru on this metal.
Can anyone out there read this and tell me about this medal?
It seems like the mystery is solved.
Luang Pu Thuat
หลวงปู่ทวด
also known as Luang Pu Thuad, Luang Por Tuad,
Luang Phu Tuad, and various other spellings.
Thank you Barbara Pitorak Bloom and Wikipedia.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Luang_Pu_Thuat
