Saturday, 19 February 2005 - A time to remember the past

Dear God:

Today, I am thankful for a time to remember the past.

My parents and their siblings are members of Tom Brokaw's "greatest generation." But, because of their Japanese ancestry, they suffered many indignities wrought by fear, bigotry and hatred. The worst came after the bombing of Pearl Harbor.

On February 19, 1942, President Franklin D. Rooselvelt signed Executive Order 9066 which "permitted the military to circumvent the constitutional safeguards of American citizens in the name of national defense. The order set into motion the exclusion from certain areas, and the evacuation and mass incarceration of 120,000 persons of Japanese ancestry living on the West Coast, most of whom were U.S. citizens or legal permanent resident aliens" (http://www.children-of-the-camps.org/history/index.html).

For Japanese-Americans, today is Remembrance Day. This morning, I pause to honor the occasion.

Midway through our walk, T and I stand on the ridge and gaze eastward. It's so clear, I can see Kansas. The sun warms my face. I close my eyes, think of my parents, and pray a simple prayer: Dear God, from every mountainside, let freedom ring.

For this blessing, I am grateful.

Amen.