Today is a somber one for many and my day is full of different emotions as I prepare to write. My Door County Mistletoe Mocha Coffee is steaming next to me and now it is time to write.
Back in August my wife Rene and I went to Hawaii and during our stay there we were able to visit Pearl Harbor. We toured the area that is now a national memorial of the attack that took place on December 7th 1941. This attack drew the United States into World War Two. It was a long time goal of mine to pay my respect to the area, but most of all to show my respect for the ones who battled there that day and lost there lives. What I saw had me speechless for most of the day. I have watched all the movies, historical film footage and documentaries on the "Day Of Infamy" but until I saw the site in person something was always lacking. While touring I watched many people speaking in low tones and the quiet of such a large crowd although respectful was somewhat eerie. As we approached the USS Arizona and it's final resting place it was then that it dawned on me that we not only were visiting a battleground but it was also a cemetery. The tragedy on 12/7/1941 stopped many lives in the prime of life, never to wed, celebrate another birthday, go home, or to say Merry Christmas again. I wasn't there in 1941 but in 2019 I actually mourned the loss of life for these brave men and women as well as mourned for their families. The loss became real for me. That trip will always have a special place in my heart.
This week I was reminded that just around the turn in the harbor the area becomes an active naval yard where ships come to port for whatever reasons and they are ships ready for war. The peace of Pearl harbor was once again riddled by bloodshed as a disturbed sailor killed two people as he lashed out against his superiors. Later this week in Pensacola Florida another United States Naval Base went under attack and several people were killed or wounded by a terrorist in disguise as a friendly national of another country receiving training at the Pensacola base. It is a reminder that we as a nation are still at war. War does not capture the "Essence of Christmas" and is a cold reminder of the evil within our world. For me and many others I will pray for the families who experienced this tragedy and hope that the local churches reach out to those who need comfort or anything else. Some will need to set aside the "December Christmas Normalcy" and take time to mourn with those who are hurting and serve them with love, dignity, respect and compassion. In doing so they are performing the "Essence Of Christmas", not as it was planned, but as it has to be.
Matthew 5:4 Blessed are those who mourn for they will be comforted.
Please join me in prayer and if you are locally near these tragedies do whatever you can to assist and provide comfort to those closest to the hurt. It is our duty to support them, mourn with them and provide the comfort they need.
God bless,
Marty
No comments:
Post a Comment