We shared a time in worship yesterday to mark the 100th anniversary of the end of World War I, “the war to end all wars.” The signing of the agreement that ended World War I was on the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month – November 11, 1918, at 11:00 am. Originally called Armistice Day, this federal holiday was changed to Veterans Day in 1954. At that time, it became a day to honor all the men and women who have served in the armed forces of the United States.
A large statue of a “doughboy,” a member of the U.S. military service during World War I, stands in front of the county courthouse in my Kentucky hometown. It’s unknown exactly how U.S. service members in World War I (1914-18) came to be dubbed doughboys—the term most typically was used to refer to troops deployed to Europe as part of the American Expeditionary Forces—but there are a variety of theories about the origins of the nickname.
According to one explanation, the term dates back to the Mexican War of 1846-48, when American infantrymen made long treks over dusty terrain, giving them the appearance of being covered in flour, or dough. As a variation of this account goes, the men were coated in the dust of adobe soil and as a result were called “adobes,” which morphed into “dobies” and, eventually, “doughboys.” Other theories claimed the nickname could be traced to Continental Army soldiers who kept the piping on their uniforms white through the application of clay. When the troops got rained on, the clay on their uniforms turned into “doughy blobs,” supposedly leading to the doughboy nickname.
A show of hands in the congregation showed that very few of us could remember knowing a veteran from the First World War. Frank Woodruff Buckles, a US Army corporal, was the last surviving American military veteran of World War I. He died Feb. 27, 2011. Buckles enlisted in the U.S. Army in 1917 at the age of 16, and served with a detachment driving ambulances and motorcycles near the front lines in Europe.
We offered the following prayer for veterans on this special day:
“God of peace,
we pray for those who have served our nation
and who laid down their lives
to protect and defend our freedom.
We pray for those who have fought,
whose spirits and bodies are scarred by war,
whose nights are haunted by memories
too painful for the light of day.
We pray for those who serve us now,
especially for those in harm’s way.
Shield them from danger
and bring them home.
Turn the hearts and minds
of our leaders and our enemies
to the work of justice
and a harvest of peace.
Let the peace you left us,
the peace you gave us,
be the peace that sustains,
the peace that saves us.”
In the name of the Prince of Peace,
we pray. Amen.
Giving thanks for those who now serve or have served in the United States Armed Forces – and for those streams of mercy, never ceasing.
Elizabeth
The caravan of migrants from Central America continues its journey toward a better life. I’ve come to know a few of them by name. Miriam Carranza and her family struggled with low pay and little job security and soaring inflation in Honduras, but the final straw came when a local gang demanded payment of a “war tax” that far exceeded the income of her construction worker husband. “They said they would kill one of my daughters if we didn’t pay,” Carranza said. Clean-cut, baby-faced and cradling his six-month-old-son, Gerson Martinez, 22, hardly looks the part of an invader. Like many other members of the caravan, he left Honduras because of the crime and murder rates. For him, the final straw came when he was approached by a local gang that pressured him to store weapons in his apartment. Juan, 33, joined the caravan with his wife and children, 2 and 10. He’s a day laborer, but it’s been a long time since he’s had a job. He says that in his neighborhood, criminals kidnap children to force them to join gangs, while the authorities look the other way. Ariceli says she left El Salvador to get away from the violence. “We received threats, extortion. They wanted at least $50 a month. But we have to pay food, water, light, rent….We have three kids and they’re all boys, and boys suffer the most from the violence in El Salvador.”
These days I find myself remembering a song from the past, “Caravan of Love.” It was the biggest hit of the Isley brothers, topping the charts for three in months in l985. “I had been looking at the world scene quite a bit,” said Chris Isley, “and I wasn’t pleased with what I was seeing. I just felt that we all needed a positive message. I had the melody in my head for about four months before I put pen to paper. When I did, I wrote the song in twenty minutes, and those lyrics just poured out. Here are a few stanzas of this special song:
“We'll be living in a world of peace In a day when everyone is free We'll bring the young and the old Won't you let your love flow from your heart? Now the children of the world can see
There's a better way for us to be The place where mankind was born
Is so neglected and torn, torn apart
I'm your brother, don't you know We'll be living in a world of peace In a day when everyone is free Chorus:
Every woman, every man Join the caravan of love
Join the caravan of love.
I think again of the caravan making its way from Central America. I think of the “caravan of love” the Isley brothers sang about, praying for the day to come when “every woman, every man” will join the caravan of love; when love will “flow from our hearts” and we’ll see the “better way for us to be” ….. in a day when everyone is free…”
Elizabeth
Our love and prayers surround the Tree of Life Synagogue in the Squirrel Hill neighborhood of Pittsburgh following Saturday’s shooting that killed 11 faithful members and wounded many others. The shooting took place in a neighborhood made famous by a man who stressed friendship and acceptance across racial and religious differences. Presbyterian minister Fred Rogers, who personified kindness and tolerance, welcomed all of us all into “Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood” and invited us all to be neighbors. A spokesperson for the Fred Rogers Center said, “We long for a day when there is no more tragedy born from hatred.”
The governor of Massachusetts quoted from the Talmud, telling those gathered “that good always triumphs over evil.” When events like these happen, every time innocents lose their lives in senseless violence, we are reminded that “there is work to do, and that none of us should ever abandon our commitment to build a better, stronger and a more inclusive world.”
I’ve thought a lot about the Jewish practice of “sitting shiva.” This tradition teaches how to properly mourn the passing of loved ones, and sets the practices and rituals that facilitate and give expression to feelings of loss and grief. Mourning is a show of respect to the departed and to his or her place in one’s life. Properly mourning loved ones helps those who grieve return to active, even joyous life, in which their feelings of love and respect are shown in deeds that honor those loved ones and their continuing influence on their lives.
Let us “sit shiva” with our Jewish brothers and sisters in our hearts.
I once read that the Jewish people formulate blessings for every circumstance in their lives. If the news is good, their prayer is “Blessed be the God who is good and who does wondrous things.” If the news is bad, their prayer is “Blessed be the God who is with us in our troubles.” As far as they are concerned, they have a duty to pronounce a blessing on the bad in life as well as the good, because all of life comes from God.
Let us pray for our Jewish brothers and sisters, giving thanks that God is with them in their troubles.
Rabbi Allen S. Maller offers this beautiful prayer for times of grief and loss:
“When All That’s Left is Love”
When I die
If you need to weep,
Cry for someone
Walking the street beside you.
You can love me most by letting
Hands touch hands, and
Souls touch souls.
You can love me most by sharing your Simchas (goodness)
and Multiplying your Mitzvot (acts of kindness).
You can love me most by letting me live in your eyes
And not on your mind.
And when you say Kaddish (thanksgiving for life) for me
Remember what our Torah teaches,
Love doesn’t die
People do.
So when all that’s left of me is love
Give me away.
Let us share our Simchas and multiply our Mitzvot and say Kaddish for our Jewish brothers and sisters.
“Shalom, Chaverim! Shalom, Chavero! Shalom, shalom! Lehitraot, lehitraot, Shalom, shalom.”
Elizabeth