My life has been restored. Once again I am enjoying live community theater. I just returned from a community production of “The Sound Of Music.” This is a very small theater with the smallest stage I have ever seen (except in a few church were “The Portrait Players” preformed. That’s the group I wrote for and directed in the late 70’s. Great memories. One of the members of the cast and crew is a friend of a resident here. She can get us free tickets. That’s the best.
But what do I come home to — the death of Ben Laden. It was everywhere, almost all channels (except the shopping channels – go figure) and all over the web. I was watching TV and searching the web at the same time. I still don’t tweet. I’m leaving that to the birds. You go away for a couple of hours and the whole world changes. Wow! That was my first response.
Second, I wanted to know how it was done. That information was sketchy. I found out who did it (not the person, but the group) and how he was killed. When I heard how long they had been tracking him with great suspicions I was curious as to why it took so long. I was not alone in any of these questions.
The longer I watched and learned the more aware I was that there would be retaliation. Honestly, that tended to crush my emotions. Nations arguing fighting and killing seems to be happening all the time. We want to get even. A predominate comment on the news is “justice is served.” Has justice been served?
Brace yourselves, the conflict has just been heightened and the speed may be greater for retaliation. They will try to get even. Please don’t misunderstand. There is a purpose for war. It seems to be sanctioned in Scripture. I’m not sure I understand that completely. There was a time I was so disgusted reading the Old Testament’s report of God telling the people of Israel to completely destroy the people: men, women and children and all their live stock, that I closed it for a lengthy time. Who can know the mind of God? It did not make sense to me. Now here comes my confession. Please keep it a secret. I have for most of my life.
I was in Canada for much of the Vietnam War. Honesty, I did not go to escape the draft. Yes, that was a bi-product of living in Regina. I went to Canada as a lark to be there with buddy. He was going and I wanted out of Omaha. I wanted to see the world, enjoy the snowy mountains — ha, like that happened. I moved to Regina, the flattest place in the world. A bump in the road was called a mountain. I expected to see kids trying to slide down that bump in the winter. Under that definition I moved from the mountains of Nebraska. The state is in the same flat grain belt as Saskatchewan. I guess it just gets flatter moving northward. Anyway, the side benefit of the move was that I decided I would stay in Canada if called to Vietnam. I kept up with the draft board and trembled when one of my USA buddy’s packed his things and moved back to Montana to demands of the draft board. I believed I could not do that. I planned to stay if necessary. However, I was never called. Then married a Canadian and began may ministry of Canada. I loved Canada and still do.
I am thankful for those who defend our countries and see the need for the military and support our boys. My emotional makeup would not let me go.
Now we enter that next phase of middle-east conflict. It will be a waiting period. We wait for their response to our response to the damage of 9/11. I am playing the same game with a resident of “The Home.” She made a comment, I challenged the comment, and since she is never wrong I await her strong and nastier defense. Like countries, like people! I don’t think it ever ends.
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