I made a visit to the Healing Field yesterday (Friday, September 10, 2004). The Exchange Club of Crossgates (Brandon, Mississippi) converted their soccer fields into a Field of Remembrances. On one side were 2,998 American flags, one for each of the victims of the 9/11/01 attack on the Twin Towers in New York City. On the other side of a walkway were 1,219 flags for the fallen military personnel of the war on terrorism since that fateful day in 2001. Each flagstaff on the side of the military personnel has the name, rank, nationality, and the date of death of a fallen soldier. For the soldier from another country there is a flag for that person’s country, and the name of the country written on the pole.

As I stood in the midst of those flags, a young family with children came down the walkway. My mind went to those innocent children who lost their lives in the September 1 through 3, 2004 school massacre in Beslan, Russia.

On the north side of that field are two telephone poles with a large banner created by over 700 youngsters in the Jackson/Brandon area. Each child had been given an individual piece of material. They were asked to paint what America means to them. The pieces were then sewn together creating the very large American flag.

I got close enough to read what was on those pieces of fabric. The one that really touched me said, “God keeps me safe,” written in the hand of a young child. After that, the child had places nine exclamation marks (crosses). I wondered, as I read those words, what was going on in the mind of that child, and the minds of the other children who participated in that project. With tears in my eyes I realized that even those small children were also deeply affected by the ultimate sacrifice made by those 4,217-plus lives.

At sunset last night I returned to that field of flags. I keep thinking about the soul that each flag represents, and each has a family who loves that soul – a mother, a father, and possibly a wife (or a husband), children, brothers and sisters. Life takes on a completely different perspective when there is such a reminder of the value of life placed before me.

You and I live in a country where life has value and meaning. Each of those lives lost on 9-11-01 also had value and meaning, and had a God given purpose; a purpose that affected many more souls than one can ever discern.

May we never forget those lives, and the lives lost in protecting us since that fateful day in 2001.