Streams of Mercy

Today my brother and his son are retracing our father’s footsteps of some 80 years ago. They’re visiting Paris Island, SC. Officially, Dad was Sgt F/2/25, 4th Marine Division, WWII, veteran of Roi-Namur, Saipan, Tinian, and Iwo Jima.

One of his buddies wrote the book Gyrene, and I treasure these words he wrote inside the cover of the book he gave to me: “Your father was one hell of a fine Marine and leader of men. Be extremely proud of what he did for our country. Hope you enjoy this story of your father’s buddies and life and culture. Best wishes and Semper Fi .”

The book was given to me at the group’s annual reunion. For several years, my brother and I would meet and travel together to join them for reunions. There we would hear stories of their life together. On learning I was a pastor, they asked me to help with the evening memorial service and to offer a prayer before meals. What a blessing to sit among them as they shared memories and hopes and dreams. Truly this was the greatest generation, and it was an honor to be among them as they gathered each year.

“Every generation has to defeat democracy’s moral foes. And into every generation, heroes are born, willing to shed their blood for that which they and we hold dear. Today we remember and we reaffirm: Freedom is worth the sacrifice. Democracy is not perfect, but it’s worth fighting for; if necessary, worth dying for … Our democracy is our greatest gift as a nation, made holy by those we’ve lost along the way. Our democracy is how we undertake the constant work of perfecting the union – and we have not perfected it, but we’ve never stopped trying – to open wider the doors of opportunity and prosperity and justice for people everywhere.” ( President Biden, Arlington National Cemetery, May 30, 2022)

From Bridge USA, I share these thoughtful words: “Simply put, we as Americans are not living up to the promise of the greatest democracy in the history of humanity. We have a moral responsibility to uphold the sacrifice of the millions of Americans who gave their lives so that we could live ours. Our call to civic duty begins with acknowledging the basics. We do not have a democracy if we don’t engage. We do not have a country if we don’t have some sense of unified belonging. We do not have a society if we cannot talk to each other. Our call to civic duty requires much less courage and bravery than the brave men and women whom we remember today. We are not being asked to set off to distant shores and lands to lay our lives on the line. We are simply being asked to be better in our daily lives. Our call to civic duty requires humility. It requires us to understand that our rights come with responsibility and that empathy and respect must guide how we engage our fellow Americans. In our everyday lives, we must remember that our actions add up in the aggregate to determine the direction of our democracy.“

Helpful words this Memorial Day 2022.

Elizabeth