Memorial Day Weekend

Hello everyone. We hope you have a fun weekend planned. We are headed to Iowa for Nya's graduation. Nya is Jeff's cousin, who, if you remember, was our flower girl! Yes, our flower girl is graduating high school. It makes me feel just a little old! It should be a fun weekend. We'll see a lot of family, and hopefully have a lot of good conversation and laughs.

The community where I sub on a regular basis got some very sad news this weekend. A 2002 graduate of their high school was killed in Iraq last week. It is hard for any community to lose a soldier, and in Hawley, it is no different. It's a small town, where everyone knows everyone - and this particular young man was a bright spot in the memories of the faculty, staff and students of the school.

As I think about the loss of another soldier, it makes me very angry. Our young men and women are being slaughtered. They are in harm's way constantly, and the reality is that harm is hidden...it explodes in the middle of the road unexpectedly and violently. Harm comes in the form of an "ally" who turns out to be a terrorist. This is an impossilbe situation, and our men and women, our nation's future is being mowed down...its seems like such a waste.

Last night at church, a few people and I were talking about this person, and someone made the comment that these issues didn't start on 9/11. They started in 11 - AD. This part of the world has been in conflict for so long, and our government has blinders on to think that it was all about America - it's so much deeper than that. In the meantime, we are losing young people at every turn, and it seems like such a waste.

As I think about this young man, his family, and especially his mother- I realize how difficult this must be. To lose a son in a battle that is so unpopular - it is tragic. But, I hope that the military families realize that many (if not most) in our country are behind our soldiers. I feel very strongly that our soldiers deserve our respect. They are answering a call that I would not be able to and I guarentee - would not send my boys on. We have to support our guys. But, we can not, must not, support this government who insist on putting our young men and women in such a dangerous and unending situation.

So, as you move towards Memorial Day weekend, keep all of the military families in your prayers. Pray for the safety of their children overseas - or thier spouses, fathers, etc. Pray for the Hawley, MN Schumann family. And please, pray for someone to answer the call of leadership in our country who will put an end to this impossible mess.