What did you do in the war Dad?

My Dad was 14 when the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor.  Like most of the country, he wanted revenge.  He could not wait until he was old enough to fight.

His brother Phil was an artillery brigade commander with Patton's army in France, so Dad had something to live up to.  His brother was a bit of a local war hero.

Dad wanted to get into the war.  He wanted to be a pilot.  He wanted to kill the enemy.  His entire life, he referred to the opposing forces with words that we would find racist today.

The war was ending when Dad was finally old enough.
He worked in Washington DC in a photo lab, producing some of the first photocopies of the atomic bombs and their effects.
He worked in a camp that helped the returning soldiers disembark for a return to "their normal life."

Forever he was haunted by the fact that he had not made a difference.  He had not defeated the enemy.  He was in his own mind, a lesser than.

I guess we have all felt like "lesser than" at one time or another.  And the fact is, depending on what we are comparing, we all may be in one way or another, lesser than.

But then I think about my friends.  My friends that love me.  To them I am not lesser than, I am good.  All good.  To them I am hug-gable.

I think about my sisters and my children.  I am not lesser than to them, I am lovable.

And I think about the God that I have come to know over the years.  To Him, to God, I am the prodigal son waiting for a hug.  I am the thief on the cross accepting forgiveness.  I am the woman at the well, being told about the living water.

We are all much more than we thought we were.
We are all much more valuable than we thought we were.

Wake up to the day when you are just loved and accepted.  Nothing to do.  Nothing to prove.
You are loved.  You are in.  Nothing more to say.

It's a beautiful day in God's world, be sure to see the good.