On This Tuesday.

Be careful. History appears to be repeating itself.

It must have felt this way to my grandmother. Her calm, late autumn Tuesday was cloudless too. The war in Europe was heating up. A crazy leader called Hitler was persecuting the Jews and taking over country after country in rapid fashion. She knew that much. Interestingly, my always-red-lipsticked Grandma Vernie knew no Jews so she wasn’t sure what to think about all that. Her life carried on as usual the day before Wednesday. She had two small girls to raise.

It feels that way today. On this last day of October, Americans are busy thinking about colorful costumes and pumpkin shaped candy buckets while there is a war far, far away.

Be careful. History appears to be repeating itself. Yet another group of ancient well armed haters have decided to try and obliterate Jewish babies, male teenagers, women, and the elderly.

Everything changed for my grandmother. And suddenly. Pearl Harbor happened. Her husband was called up. War knocked on her door in southern Arkansas. My young blue eyed grandfather boarded a wave tossed ship and landed on the shores of southern Italy. He made his way up towards France. The army issued boots did little to protect him from the frozen ground. He fought. Thousands fought alongside him. He died and was counted among the reported 105,102 casualties of the Ardennes-Alsace campaign. He died in December engaging at the Battle of the Bulge.

My grandmother became a war widow. My mother grew up without a father. Yet I am thankful for his service and all of their sacrifice. He was part of a generation who halted evil - halted being the operative word here for since we were expelled from the Garden man's heart is bent on evil.

As American warships and air power gather in the Middle East, it terrifies. What will this cost my generation?

Life is normal for me today.

I use it to pray. Because I know that so much could change and so quickly.