No matter your views on the war, this is a good thing...

This is the postcard I sent to a soldier, courtesy of a very cool web site Xerox has set up. You can choose a postcard photo designed by a child, and then choose a message. Xerox will automatically print out and send your postcard to a soldier stationed overseas. So easy, and completely free too!

My feelings on the wars are complicated. I consider myself a pacifist, first and foremost--consistent with my faith and my beliefs about the value of diplomacy over killing. However, I was listening to analysis of the war in Afghanistan the other day, and I found myself baffled on the whole issue. There is no easy answer...it seems unfair to bow out now and not stabilize the country for the Afghan citizens (after we devastated it with our weapons and artillery)....especially the women, the most serious victims of Taliban terror. If we pull out now, schools will continue to get burned down, and women will continue to lose their rights. On the other hand, can that country be stabilized? I don't know the answer.

I heard a story on NPR the other day that just tore me to pieces. A single mom did not show up for deployment because her child care arrangements for her 10-month-old son fell through. As a result, she was arrested, is being detained, and might face criminal charges. Anytime I think of all those parents who are away from their children for months at a time, or the children who desperately miss and worry about their parents, at WAR, for God's sake, I ache for them. What makes it even harder is that many of them felt that the military was the best choice for them--or that they didn't have any choice.

As the holidays approach, I think about all the families separated by these conflicts and hope and pray for peace.

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