FLOWER PETALS FOR PEACE

By Mary Lou Carney

"And this day shall be unto you for a memorial..." -- Exodus 12:14

I'd heard about Pearl Harbor all my life... in every U.S. history class I took, and from my father and father-in-law, both of whom served in the Navy. But when Gary and I visited Hawaii and took a day trip to see Pearl Harbor for ourselves, I was amazed at the emotion I felt.

A gleaming white structure rested out in the bay, a memorial built over the sunken Arizona. We boarded a boat with other tourists and listened as the guide talked about December 7, 1941. "The USS Arizona is the final resting place for many of the 1,177 crewmen who lost their lives. In the shrine room of the memorial, you will find the names of those killed."

As we walked onto the memorial, I looked over the side. I could see the sunken ship! It's outline was visible in the clear water below us. I imagined the soldiers that morning, roused from their sleep. Young, confused, frightened, brave. Did they have mothers, sweethearts, wives? I sensed someone standing next to me at the rail. I looked up to see a Japanese woman. For a moment I stiffened. What right did she have to be here? Then I realized what she was doing: dropping flower petals into the water. In that instant I knew that death -- like bravery and love -- knows no national boundaries, that we are all enlarged by the noble and diminished by the tragic.

The water lapped quietly against the sides of the memorial, and when the lady looked my way, I smiled.

Sent by Joe Gatuslao

PRAYER

"ALMIGHTY GOD, look with compassion on all people of this world; break down the barriers that separate us. Forgive us for the tragedies of war we inflict on each other. Lord Jesus, You often greeted Your friends with peace, in times of conflict show us how to share it with everyone we encounter each day. Unite us in bonds of love, work through our struggle and confusion so that in Your perfect time we can truly love one another. O God, who would fold both heaven and earth in a single peace, we ask You to grant Your peace among nations, in our dwellings, and in our hearts. Amen.