Monday, January 01, 2007

Peace on Earth

I dragged both girls to an interfaith prayer service for World Peace Day at the Catholic convent near our house today. It was very nice, with readings from the Jewish, Christian, Islamic and Hindu traditions and lots of singing. The Sisters of the Incarnate Word are very active in our local peace and justice efforts. I think it is especially important for the girls and I to attend as many of these events as possible as most of the peace activists in our community are older people, much older than even I am for the most part, and it is important both to raise up young ones to the cause and to lift the spirits of the aging activists who worry that no one will carry on their work when they are gone. It warms my heart to see the looks that the frail nuns in wheel chairs give to my nursing toddler and my growing young lady...I think it means a lot to them.

The death toll of American soldiers just surpassed 3,000 today, though, and the three-thousandth soldier killed was even a Texan, as many of those killed have been, bringing it very close to home, so later the Lone Star Girl and I joined some others on a busy corner with our signs to demonstrate for peace. These days, most people driving by are very receptive to these acts of witness - not like early in the war. Hopefully, our troops will come home before the numbers rise higher still .


No comments: