As a child in school when December 7th would roll around, my teachers would sometimes but not always mention Pearl Harbor. Truthfully, it sounded like a sad, scary, action packed story but of course I had no real emotional connection to it. If it wasn't for my history classes in college the date would probably never stick in my head unless I would hear a blip of it on the evening news on the day of.
Of course the actual story of Pearl Harbor is one we all know now as adults and most anyone can quote that part of FDR's speech, "...a day that will live in infamy..." Oh and of course there was the Hollywood movie starring Mr. Ben Affleck that helps us to get a better understanding of that day. But have you ever seen an interview or talked to someone that was there, or someone that could just tell you where they were when it happened? Have you ever noticed the unmistakeable glint of pain in their eyes when they speak of that day? It's always there.
If it weren't for September 11, 2001, I may have never understood that look but I am sad to say that I do. I know it well. It's the same look our generation gets in their eyes every September 11th when the day inevitably rolls around and the news starts in with the clips and everyone starts in with their "I was (here) when I first heard (or saw)" stories. It's the one day when we can therapeutically talk about the pain that still lies hidden in us these 11 years later. A pain that's still quietly visible in our ongoing war and our still unsure citizens even though we have come so far. It's a pain that has and inevitably still is shaping our country and generation and a similar pain that shaped the Pearl Harbor generation even though it's not obvious in our daily lives.
But truthfully, who wants to live in a world shaped continuously by pain, fear and anger? I know what's done is done and tragically we cannot undo the past and we cannot fully reshape our views of the world as the real damage has already been done but as the years pass by I pray with all that I am that our generation can find healing for our minds and our hearts and that above all that my children's generation will watch documentaries and news clips of December 7th and September 11th and never fully understand our reminiscent looks of pain as we remember and never forget. They will never fully understand because they will live in a world void of terrorist, the threat of airplanes flying into buildings or wars threatening nuclear weapons and ultimate destruction of entire countries.
I know this is an absolute peaches and cream vision and that ultimately pain and suffering will always be known to us in some degree. So, I guess what I really hope is that whatever it is that my children's generation has to endure its not bad enough to redefine and completely reshape them as September 11th has done to us. I simply wish for more for them.
So tomorrow is the day that cannot help but flood all of us with emotions that often time take us by surprise and memories that we wish we could just wash away. But it brings optimism too! The glint of hope that I have seen grow year by year is a resolve to remember that day but to never have to experience that day or a day like it again. So many of us can say that we are stronger for it and I pray we are. Because I want nothing more than for my children to grow up in a world that wishes for more for its children and knows a greater peace than we were able to know.
amen
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