A Reason to Pause

Have you ever walked or driven through you neighborhood and seen something that just makes the whole place more inviting? Have you ever been to some little store where you get the impression that the people working there care about more than just your money? Have you ever met someone who always said good morning, who was always cheerful but never annoying? Have you ever met someone who seemed like they couldn't be mean or greedy even if they tried? Someone who makes you think that maybe humanity isn't so hopeless after all?

At home, one of my favorite things to do is to go over to the bike path by my house, go for a walk, and just think. On the bike path, there is an area where the path goes by a bunch of houses with their backyards facing the path. Many of these houses have doors on their fences, allowing the owners to go directly from their house to the path.

At one such house, there has always been an American flag erected on the fence. Over the summer, the same people that put that flag up also planted two gardens, a vegetable garden on one side of the path and a decorative flower garden on the other. Without a doubt, I would have to say that that is the best part of my walks. There is something about seeing a garden full of living plants that someone worked to grow that just makes you appreciate the wonder of the human soul. It's as if that little stretch of land has some kind of living spirit It's as if they poured a bit of themselves into the world and the world is better off because of it.

I once saw a sign on their fence telling people to stop stealing their vegetables. I'm sure it was a very serious problem for them but I couldn't help but laugh. As I read the sign, I could tell by their choice of words and what they said with those words that they couldn't be anything but genuinely good people. I had never even met these people and yet I loved them.

When I went on a walk the other day, I found something new on that stretch of land tended by my faceless neighbors. The vegetables had been harvested quite a while ago but the flowers remained and the flag waved as proudly as ever. But that wasn't all; next to the American flag, there was another flag that proudly, mournfully, and resolutely bore the letter "POW".

I still haven't met these people. I still don't know if the one that they raised that flag for is a son, daughter, a friend, or a relative. All I know is that somewhere out there, there is someone who put their lives on the line for our rights and the rights of others and because of that they are now hostages in the hands of those who would oppose not only the freedom itself.

If you are reading this, I beg of you, pray. Pray for the everyday heroes. Pray for the victims of those who believe that they have the right to judge the lives of others and find them inferior. Pray for those who need an everyday hero. Open your heart to God and give Him your grief, your compassion, and your love. He'll know what to do with it.