Streams of Mercy

Each Sunday before Memorial Day, we take time to name those we know who’ve made the ultimate sacrifice in service to our country. We had very few folks in attendance on a stormy Sunday on a holiday week-end! Very few names were mentioned. We shared names, had a prayer and sang a patriotic hymn.

Today a friend texted a picture of two tombstones in the community cemetery, sharing that they were in memory of the McDuffie brothers, who were killed in World War II and buried in Luxembourg France. One was 27 years old, and the other only 20. They were the only children of their parents. She said her mother used to talk about how sad it was to lose the only children you had in a war. My friend regretted not remembering on Sunday and speaking their names during the service.

I’ve thought a lot about the McDuffie brothers today and I’m grateful for their sacrifice and saddened by the grief that came to their parents in their loss. I live in the community they lived in, walk the same roads they walked, look up at the same blue sky. I’m humbled by what they did that allows me to do what I am doing. The freshly-placed flags in the church graveyard blow in the gentle breeze, honoring the fallen we remember today.

This prayer by Dr. Jill Duffield is a blessing on this special day:

Lord, what we remember of the past shapes who we are today and influences how we will act tomorrow. On this Memorial Day we remember and give thanks for those who made the ultimate sacrifice in service to their country. We grieve with those who grieve this day and pray comfort for those who mourn. We ask for the wisdom to allow the memory of those who died for a cause greater than themselves to form our words, opinions and decisions in ways that honor them. Help us to take seriously the cost of war and enter into combat only when every other option has been exhausted. May the sacrifice of those we remember this day not be in vain, but instead guide us to work tirelessly for peace, justice and freedom for all people. Amen.

In loving memory of the McDuffie brothers of Jackson Springs, who made the ultimate sacrifice for their country.

Elizabeth