It was the best of times, it was the worst of times...

In honor of my father, Lt. Col. Edward Buell Feathers, Retired, and my former husband, Thomas E. Williams who fought in Viet Nam, and all the men and women who put their lives on the line so that I can enjoy the freedoms and Liberty that are the envy of the world's peoples and governments. There are no words to thank you appropriately. But I do offer it evenso. And from my heart.

This day causes me to reflect on the persistence of war....

"It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair, we had everything before us, we had nothing before us, we were all going direct to Heaven, we were all going direct the other way--in short, the period was so far like the present period, that some of its noisiest authorities insisted on its being received, for good or for evil, in the superlative degree of comparison only." ~ Chapter One, "Recalled to Life", a Tale of Two Cities, Charles Dickens

Chilling how true these words, written so many years before WWII, were true for that war, and ring true for Korea, for Viet Nam, for the Gulf War, and now for the Afganistan and Iraq wars.

Men get caught up in wars that princes plan, and women and children by association. All suffer whether the "victors" (for no death make us victors) or the defeated, all lose in war.

Still, we pause to honor the warriors among us who have gone forth with courage, or at best hope, for a good outcome. To our fathers, husbands, brothers and sons; our mothers, wives, sisters and daughters; our cousins, our friends and lovers we give honor to you today.

But we do not honor war. No. We honor good relations between people, where Liberty is honored for each of us, or freely given up for a good we all agree to protect.

Here in America, we agree to respect the liberty of each other and strive within the complexity of relationships that trust requires. We are very young at this, imperfect in our implementation. We trust that providence gives us time to learn to live by the high calling of Liberty. Perhaps then we can even extend that relationship globally. We strive for that, but until we can do it at home, within our own borders, we will be as children in the courts of law abroad.

I live in hope that before I die I will see an end to war as a means to resolve conflict in our world, a time when reason prevails and thoughtful dialogue is our most powerful tool - a time when we are warriors of the word.

Knowing how much is at stake, how could we strive for less?

Veteran's Day 2006