They Shall be Comforted:
A Memorial Day Reflection 
by Renée Harms
Today my heart is heavy after a sobering reminder that "life is only a breath"-and carries no guarantees. Today I learned of deaths in the families of three of my co-workers. This follows two from just last week, and another from six months ago.
This news has left me bewildered and stunned. I didn't even know these individuals, but to see death affecting so many of them all at once is both overwhelming and frightening.
I am reminded of the fragility of life-the tenuous ground on which we stand that is the difference between life and death. The simple fact is, tomorrow I could lose someone I love, or perhaps my own life could end. This is the nature of the sinful world in which we exist. As is the reality of war.
I think of the hundreds-even thousands-of people, both civilians and soldiers, who have died as a result of the recent months of fighting in Iraq. And I think of all the families and friends they have left behind to mourn their loss, and wonder, "Why?"
I can only imagine the grief those people are experiencing.
I am reminded of the pain that exists all around me. The people who hurt and cry, and can't yet see past their tears to better days. The people who feel alone in their suffering. The men, like the one in this picture, who carry bitter memories of war, where they faced death every day, where innocent victims got caught in the crossfire, and where death claimed the lives of countless friends. As the years pass by, their pain still lingers.
And yet Jesus said, "Blessed are they that mourn, for they shall be comforted." (Matthew 5:4) The Christian message offers hope to the hurting. In the midst of pain and remembering, God longs to send His angels-and sometimes you and I-to offer comfort and support in countless ways, to countless people.
As we approach Memorial Day weekend, a time of remembrance, of honoring heroes, of mourning loss and celebrating lives, may we be reminded that God is the source of all hope, and there is a day coming when "they that mourn" will indeed know complete happiness.
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