11/11

Today is of twofold value to me. In the US, it's Veterans' Day. Overseas, it's Remembrance Day or Armistice Day.

(Memorial Day, in the US, is on the anniversary of the end of the Civil War and has been a holiday here, obviously, longer than Remembrance/Armistice Day has been in the rest of the world)

To my friends, family, and colleagues in the US:

For those of you who have served, thank you. Whether in the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, or Coast Guard, whether based abroad or at home, whether in combat or out of combat, you have risked and given much in the defense of this country and the ideals it holds dear.

For that, you will always have my thanks and appreciation.

To my friends and former colleagues overseas:

Today, we remember those who paid the ultimate price. WWI and WWII exacted an extreme toll on many countries and many communities around the world. Of course, these are not the only wars waged on a global scale. Immediately coming to mind are the Vietnam war and Korean conflict. These men and women gave their lives to pursue and protect the ideals we hold dear in our modern, Western age.

From the rising of the sun to the setting of the same, we will remember.

We Remember

A red sun sets upon the hill
The blood spilled on the ground
As hands which once held stones before
Stood angrily around

We remember you who go before
We remember you who've left
The name of God upon your lips
As mothers torn, bereft

A song sung from a hundred lips
Echoes across the plain
As men and women raised on high
Sing praises through the pain

We remember you who go before
We remember you who've left
The name of God upon your lips
As fathers torn, bereft

A silence filled the crowded square
Condemned upon the dais
A chop and thud cuts off the sound
Of the prisoner's last prayer

We remember you who go before
We remember you who've left
The name of God upon your lips
As sisters torn, bereft

The women scream, the comfort breaks
Unsettled houses turn
Unwelcome violence cannot still
The praises from their lips

We remember you who go before
We remember you who've left
The name of God upon your lips
As brothers torn, bereft

At last the final trumpet sounds
The grave gives up its dead
Tears will no more stain our eyes
In joy we'll live instead

We remember you who go before
We remember you who've left
The name of God upon your lips
A family born through death

Enkosi Tata

Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela 

Here's to a man who fought injustice and lived to tell his story.

Here's to a man who endured long imprisonment.

Here's to a man who displayed maturity and wisdom beyond his circumstances.

Here's to a man who realised that wrong corrects no wrong,

Who realised the long-term effects of peaceful talks,

Who realised working with the opposition can effect a smooth transition of power.

Here's to a man who realised the unpopular action can be the better action.

Here's to a man who reached out, as president, in reconciliation, to his detractors.

Here's to a man who offered amnesty in exchange for peace.

Here's to a man.

A nation.

A legacy

Hamba kakuhle Madiba. Enkosi.

Totsiens Madiba. Dankie.

Farewell Madiba. Thank you.

The Wheel Turns

Today I find myself in a state I cannot truly express with words. What words suffice for the ending of ~10 years of my life? The attention and focus, the wondering about what is to come and searching what has already been written, all of this drawn to a close.

Bittersweet.

The sweetness of culmination, anticipation, and fulfillment, and the bitterness of ending. It's over.

A journey, begun in its inception 29 years ago, it began amassing followers and devotees before I was born. I wove myself into the tapestry soon enough.

To the late Robert Jordan: Thank you. Thank you for sharing your world with us. Thank you for the years of mystery, intrigue, and fantasy. Thank you for the imagination, late nights, and lost sleep.

To Brandon Sanderson: Thank you. You stepped in where the need arose. You fulfilled Jordan's dream and brought us all to a close.

My words cannot express the sentiments in near the fullest form, so I leave with this:

Tai'shar Malkier

Prayer for Boston

God,

I know You know what has happened recently throughout the world, but I want to pray on behalf of one particular event. I cannot fathom what happened yesterday. It doesn't make sense to me. Why would somebody/-ies try to kill a large number of innocents? I don't know, but I know that You, God, are sovereign and that, like with Joseph, the Israelites in Egypt, and the persecutions of the church, You will ultimately bring good from this evil of man's doing.

Lord, I want to pray first for the victims still living. I thank You that they are still alive. I ask that You would heal them. I ask that You would reach into their lives and bring not only physical healing, but spiritual healing, too. I ask that You would show them your grace, mercy, and love; that You would move them to be able to forgive their attackers.

Next, Lord, I pray for the doctors working furiously to save those in critical condition. I know many have been lost, but I ask, for those still living, that You would give the doctors wisdom and discernment, that they would be able to clearly assess the trauma and treat it.

God, I pray for the victims' families. I cannot imagine the pain of families grieving lost ones or dealing with the coarse adjustment of disability, surgery, or even indefinite hospitalization. I ask that you would provide for these families. I ask that not only would their physical and monetary needs be met, but that You would gather to them those able to meet their emotional and spiritual needs, God. I ask that any bitterness and resentment be replaced with grace and forgiveness and that, through this trauma, You would bring these families to you and ultimately to salvation.

I pray for the law enforcement. I ask that You would reveal the clues leading to the identities and whereabouts of the culprits. I ask that You would protect them in their search and that, ultimately, true, fair justice may be administered.

Lastly, Lord, I pray for the priests, ministers, deacons, and pastors of Boston. I ask that You would move their hearts to compassion, that they would mobilize their congregations to show Your love to the victims and their families. I ask that their hearts would be open to Your urgings and that they would take the opportunity to speak Your truth to the city in a loving, merciful manner. I ask that they might exemplify Your grace and shine Your light into the community such that people are drawn to You, like moths to a flame.

Lord, I ask that You would receive all glory and honour in the aftermath of this disaster and that many would see You truly for the first time and come before You, bowing their knees.

I ask all of this in Your name.

Amen

Sendings-Off

Bob Owira
6 August 1991 - 5 December 2011

Dude, I can't believe you're gone. I want to say this is a cruel joke, but, sadly, I know it's not. Rest in Peace, my friend.

To the Owira Family, my prayers are with you.