Peace ...

As some of you may already know, Oak Ridge has a rather notorious history. It was established by the government as the seat of the Manhattan Project and was the site where much of the uranium was extracted to create the atomic bombs dropped in Japan during WWII. Now in the Civic Center Park in the heart of town is a memorial to Hiroshima and Nagasaki. It is called the International Friendship PEACE Bell. It was actually given to the City of Oak Ridge by the Japanese Government. Ironic!

Anyway, with my littlest (he would prefer I say "youngest") brother visiting for less than 24 hours before shipping out to Okinawa, it seemed like a fitting place to take him. And yes, he rang the bell. He is now a Marine. The little boy who used to sit for abnormal amounts of time twirling his pencil, Lincoln log, or any common twig, will now be serving his time in the military. I would be lying if I said I wouldn't prefer him to be heading out on a mission trip or Peace Corps assignment, but that is not the case for him. My prayer is only that he find a way of serving God in this journey and that it will hold for him PEACE, always PEACE.





Peace,

Jodi