Wednesday, August 03, 2005

Counting the fallen...

Our local news just covered the memorial service of a 25 year old solider who was killed in Afghanistan. He's one of 16 service men from Florida that have fallen in Afghanistan. Iraq has taken 76 more Floridians.

The overall numbers are so overwhelming that I have trouble processing them. The smaller (yet all too large), closer-to-home numbers are what seem to get me. It's so hard to imagine while I'm living my pathetic life, going to school, working toward my goals, people my age are out there fighting for my ability to do that--dying to allow me to think, feel, express, learn, breathe, and live. That's a hard concept for me to get my meek mind around.

I don't pretend to take a side on the politics of the war. Although, the human side of it is unavoidable. I pray, equally, for all those involved on every aspect of the war. God (or whatever you care to call the Supreme Being I choose to believe in), be with them all and bring peace to all the nations involved before more lives, civilian or military, are sacrificed.

2 comments:

  1. Tina, I beg to differ .. your life is not pethetic. Sometimes when we are overwhelmed by pain, we tend to beat up on ourselves. But really, if you look at it, you are doing what you are suppose to be doing. You never know when your time will come to stand up .. standing up doesn't mean that you got to go to war, but it's all the same.

    All I know is that hurting others is wrong, because what goes around comes around. I have lived long enough to know this to be a fact.

    Sharing your feelings and thoughts is just the beginning of seeing pass the pain, for indeed, pain may be a part of life, but so is joy.

    Just choose joy and leave the guilt behind. It's alright to pursue your goals, are not you a part of this thing we called life.

    Your words do touch my heart ... and put mirrors up in my face.

    Be well,
    LP

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  2. Amen Cricketina and Amen LP - You are both right - now do I sound duplicitous?

    J

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