Remember, you can listen to "Gravestone" and the rest of the Reflections album on February 22, 2021 on your favorite media platform!
If you travel to the cemetery in my hometown of Albany, Texas, at the top on the hill you'll find a large elaborate gravestone that belongs to Lieutenant Colonel William Edwin Dyess. The gravestone is inscribed with Dyess' story. Born and raised in Albany, Dyess became an US Air Force pilot and served in World War II. He was captured by Japanese forces in the Philippines, survived the Bataan Death March and eventually escaped from his captors. After returning home, he was flying his P-38 in California when he experienced engine failure. Because he was flying over a highly populated area, Dyess chose not to abandon his plane to ensure that no civilians were killed. Dyess chose to fly the plane into a vacant lot. This choice potentially saved a lot of innocent lives, but it cost Lt. Col. Dyess his.
When I was in elementary school, my oldest brother, Jayton, was asked by Lt. Col. Dyess' remaining family members if he would care for the grave site of Dyess. He accepted the responsibility. that responsibility passed to my second brother, Jaxon, when Jayton went to college. It then passed to me after Jaxon left home for college as well. As a young high school student considering enlisting in the military, I read that gravestone over and over (probably spent more time reading it than actually working!). It was rather intimidating. Dyess is only one example of a heroic legacy left behind by many that were lost in World War II and other wars. In more recent times, stories like that of Navy SEAL Chris Kyle or US Marine Dakota Meyer or Black Hawk Down weighed heavily on my mind. Could I live up to that? Could I be that courageous when the time comes? What will people think of me if I don't come home?
Years later as a young adult, I head read a blog post written by a friend about a grave yard. It prompted me to write a chorus about similar feelings I had when I was younger, but from a Christian point of view:
"What will my gravestone say?
After I've gone away?
How often did I pray?
His every word obey?
Did I serve Him humbly?
Sing His praises fervently?
Always speak so truthfully?
And always thank Him gratefully?
What will my gravestone say?
After I've gone away?"
These words sat unused for a couple years. Maybe procrastination is just how I write songs, but it was really because I couldn't come up with any verses for it. I couldn't come up with a tune to fit any of the verses I had written that also matched the tune of the chorus. So it sat. I toyed with many different ideas. I though about writing about various Biblical 'heroes' like Paul or Stephen along with adding modern notable Christians like Martin Luther, or Max Lucado. But it just never felt right for the song. Eventually, I remembered Lt. Col. Dyess and how many times I had read that gravestone and doubted myself in the presence of someone braver than I. Even though it had been years since I had been in charge of caring for his grave, the memories had stuck. So I tried to capture the dramatic image of someone standing in a foggy graveyard, contemplating the age old question: "What is my legacy?"
"Solemnly I stood, before a grave
The final place, where a hero lay
As I read the words, there upon the stone
Of his courage bold, and of fear disowned
I couldn't help but to wonder if I would be proud
Of the life I'd lived and the ground I'd plowed
What will they say of me when I'm gone
when the sun has set, and my story's done"
So many times, we ask ourselves if we will leave a legacy at our careers or in the world in general. The truth of that is something we probably don't want to hear. James 4:14 tells us we are just a vapor that appears for a short time then disappears. We are just blips in the grand scheme of time. But that doesn't mean we are worthless. It simply means that we should use the time we have wisely and accomplish the things God has asked us to do. Serving Him properly, living the life we are called to is what we should want our legacy to be. The only opinion we should worry about is the Lord's. If we live how He has asked us to, we will make a difference to our friends and family. A Christian legacy does not gain its quality from human standards. Instead, our legacy will be of heaven.
-JB