la vie en rose

Yesterday and today are 2 big anniversaries. 40 years ago on June 5th was the assassination of Democratic presidential candidate Bobby Kennedy. He died 1 day later and with him went the hope of a nation. 64 years ago on June 6th was D-Day, an event that many historians consider to be the turning point in WWII. In February we think of love, in the springtime we think of renewal and the resurrection, in July we think of patriotism, in November, of gratitude, in December, of giving. I think that in June we should think of war, of the human toll of those who try to prevent it and those who fight to end it. There are some who think that war is never justified, that we should "turn the other cheek," and some who think that a war, any war, will preserve their legacy in the annals of history as a hero. But here, on June 5th and 6th, we have back to back anniversaries of the death of someone who was committed to ending the conflict in Vietnam and of the day when thousands of men died to stop the spread of Nazism and actually began beating it back. I think there are definitely times when we have to fight (to continue on with the Jesus reference - even He had to throw the money changers out of the temple). I do not think that is the case with this war, and I have thought that from the beginning. I hope we don't let these days pass by us without thinking of the horrors and the devastation of war, the toll that it takes on the participants and the bystanders, and of the sacrifices of brave men who gave their lives in order to end it with the hope that it would never happen again.