A Memorial Day Prayer
A friend shared this prayer, written by Wm. Sloan Coffin. I invite you to do two things: join me in praying it, and then feel free to leave your comments.
“Grant, O God, that they may not have died in vain. May we draw new vigor from past tragedy.
Buttress our instincts for peace, sorely beleaguered. Save us from justifications invented to make us look noble, grand and righteous and from blanket solutions to messy, detailed problems.
Give us the vision to see that those nations that gave the most to their generals and least to their poor were, throughout all history, the first to fall.
Most of all, give us the vision to see that the world is now too dangerous for anything but truth, too small for anything but love.
Through Jesus Christ our Savior, who became what we are to make us what he is. Amen.”
—Joe, aware that we live in the land of the free because of the brave.
joescheets 
I learned honor and respect for Veterans as a little child. I followed my Grandma around Loy Cemetery leaving flowers on the graves of Veterans from the Black Hawk War, Mexican War, Civil War, World War I, and World War II. One flower at a time, as we bowed our heads and said a prayer for each one . . . . . one flower at a time.
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Thank you for this, Jane. Was writing elsewhere this weekend about a similar Memorial Day Tradition with my grandfather, too. Sobering reminders.
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What a powerful and sobering prayer. Makes me hope people read it and take it to heart.
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Thanks, Katie, and yup. My dad, the former Air Force pilot, certainly had some distinct opinions about some things, and I think he’d nod a couple of times in your direction. In agreement.
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On Memorial Day, I was proud to share with the retired General speaking, that I had immediate family members in some branch of service in every war and conflict through Vietnam and pray these next generations will never have to see that day. Our freedom hasn’t been free.
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Amen.
Sent from my iPad
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