ART & POETRY BY PAUL & KATHY BOECHER

When we awoke on this past Sunday morning, there came the shocking news of the bombing of Iran’s nuclear sites. More and more division has arisen within our own beautiful USA.

After WWII we became truly united. In the following years, there was great reverence for the American flag. I remember decorating my doll carriage with red, white and blue crepe paper and waving a little flag as a reminder of the cost of war. Next came the Korean War. At home there was unrest as a similar battle against communism raged in the courtroom of the McCarthy hearings. When the war in Viet Nam was declared it was 1955. It wasn’t until 1975 that it was finally ended. During the war, protests erupted. It was the first war in which we could view the battle on the evening news. The soldiers as well as the people back home were trying to numb the effects by using drugs that would take them away from reality. At the turn of the century, in 2001, as things seemed to have settled down, three planes destroyed places on our own soil. We were enraged and engaged. The demand for American flags was tremendous. Church congregations prayed for their loved ones and the great loss. Many mourned as they attended funerals of friends and relatives who perished in this act of terror. Another declaration of War ensued. Most of us remember the horrors of that conflict. Then the year 2020 came with its plague of COVID19. Maybe that was the greatest divider of all. Becoming isolated in such a way for so long had to take its toll on our nation as a whole. Many lost hope. Without the means of communication via face to face, we lost our ability to solve problems in a healthy way. Our lack of communal worship led to a reliance on self instead of God for the hope necessary. My lack of knowledge of political science leaves me at a loss, but I know that God is the only answer to our division, to our peace, to our unity. Love of God, country and each other means turning back to the source of all peace. I pray that God will lead us back to Him. May He then deliver us from this evil that has turned citizen against citizen – friends against friends and family members against family members. GOD HAS THIS!

Refreshing, cleansing rain falls softly on an eager earth,

Thirsting for relief, longing for renewal and rebirth.

The tears of God bring respite for the dying soul,

He gave His only Son to fill a gaping hole,

The hole that widens every day,

When we forget to turn to Him and pray,

As branches dance and lightening fills the air,

I think of Him who never fails to care.