The best gift we could give her? ...Peace
My Dearest Lilly,
I can’t help but wonder what the world will be like when you’re old enough to read this. Today, there are wars raging in many places in the world and people seem to cling more to hate than to mutual respect. How can we survive with so much dividing us?
You are probably wondering why there is such a climate of unrest in the world. I wish there was an easy explanation. It seems that greed is at the heart of much that is wrong in the world. So many that have so much are unwilling to share with those who have so little. Such has been the case through most of history.
Every day, children go to sleep without having enough to eat. Illness and disease afflict many in spite of the fact that there is medical knowledge and medicine available to treat their afflictions, but the cost of treatment is beyond their means. The thirst for power compels individuals to exploit or suppress those who don’t support their ideology or politics. There is little desire to cooperate and compromise in an effort to address the needs of the planet.
My darling granddaughter, it looks like it is going to fall to your generation to repair the damage of the generations that came before you. That’s assuming there is anything left to salvage by the time you reach an age where you can make a difference. My best advice to you would be to make it a practice to observe the Golden Rule: “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.” Although they might not reciprocate in all cases, those you come in contact with will generally respond in a positive way to such treatment. At the very least, you can take comfort in the fact that you at least put the welfare of others on an equal footing with your own. Maybe then, you will sleep the sleep of the just.
I would also encourage you to regularly evaluate your motives for the things you do in life. Can you truthfully say that you make your decisions based on a sense of fairness and justice, or out of selfish disregard for the impact your choices have on others? It seems that when we consider the needs of others equally with our own, the result is most often positive in outcome.
I offer my apologies for the mistakes made by the generations who proceeded yours. And the mistakes are many. I wish I could say that we always tried our best, but that has not always been true. I wish I could say we always worked for justice, but that would not be accurate either. There have been many who tried to get us to change our ways, but they have been ignored and discounted more often than not. My hope is that it is not too late to begin the process of change.
I make one promise to you. For the rest of my life, I will do what I can to promote the cause of peace. I will endeavor to treat others with respect and dignity, regardless of their social status, nationality, political beliefs, or spiritual background. I will contribute to efforts to eliminate causes of suffering such as hunger, sickness and oppression with my time and treasure. Where I encounter intolerance I will speak out against it. In so doing, perhaps the world you inherit will be on a different path than we are currently on. That is my fervent prayer.
Love, Grandpa.
Lee this is far more elequent than I wrote.Peace be with you my friend!
mike golchs last blog post..DONA NOBIS PACEM
Oh Lee.
This post brought tears to my eyes and chills to my arms. What a powerful post. You Rock.
meleah rebeccahs last blog post..Another Personal Update. With Some Pictures, Charts, and Graphs.
What a wonderful promise to your beautiful grandaughter.
)
Peace & love to you
Ivanhoes last blog post..Dona Nobis Pacem
PRECIOUS! I would treasure a letter like this from my Grandpa forever. A gift, a beautiful and loving gift.
Be blesssed today as you have blessed me. And PEACE to you as well.
jennifers last blog post..PEACE Y’ALL…
This post is Gold !
We do not need an apology from those who came before us. They were ignorant and simply did not know any better.
Every generation brings with them a change and it will never always be to the approval of the ones that came before them or the ones that come after them.
I had a teacher who once said, “You wish you lived in the golden era(s) and you wish you lived to see a thousand years – but God put you on this earth today because you would never have survived/tolerated living in yesterday and you would never have survived/tolerated living in tomorrow.”
Jaffers last blog post..Dona Nobis Pacem
Beautiful globe Lee. And your post is outstanding. I’m sure one day Lilly will cherish it.
Peace to you and yours!
Lee, that’s the most beautiful Peace Globe there could be. Lilly is so lucky to have you in her life and I know that she will be a very special person.
Happy Peace Day!
The Carolina Cats’ mom bean Nora
Durham, NC
Finny Buddy & Jasmine’s mom beans last blog post..Dona Nobis Pacem
Hands down this is the absolute best I’ve seen today, and there is a lot of great ones. May peace come to you and yours, and to the world as well.
Comedy Pluss last blog post..Blog Change
I’ve been looking forward to your post all day. You did not disappoint.
Peace.
Traviss last blog post..Dona Nobis Pacem
I thought I would not need another box of Kleenex today but I was wrong. Lee, it is beautiful. She is beautiful. Your words….you read our minds today. You know how special the grandfather/granddaughter connection is to me. This touched me deeply and will others. I hope I get a chance to mention this post on the show tonight. Outstanding.
Peace to you and little Lilly -
Hugs from Bloggingham on her first ever Dona Nobis Pacem,
Mimi
Mimi Lenoxs last blog post..Dona Nobis Pacem
What a beautiful letter to Lilly. I love your peace globe!
Peace to you,
Luxor
Your Peace Globe is so sweet, your granddaughter is adorable.
Thank you for sharing your heartfelt letter to Lilly with us.
Lizzas last blog post..Blogblast for Peace: November 2008
what a peaceful sleeping baby,she’s so cute and peaceful.
thanks for stopping by.
FickleMindeds last blog post..Dona Nobis Pacem(Grant Us Peace)
Outstanding post! It gave me chills and tears, and I am still nodding in complete agreement with every word of wisdom and all the love that permeates throughout this post. Well done, good and faithful grandparent!
G&G’s Mom (WillThink4Wine)
Gandlaf and Graysons last blog post..BlogBlast For Peace
Wow! Very special! Writing letters to the younger generations kinda help you find your perspective doesn’t it? May the spirit of peace take over!
julies last blog post..Dona Nobis Pacem
I love your globe with your beautiful grandchild. What a thoughtful, eloquent, and moving letter. I felt quite emotional reading it. Dona Nobis Pacem
Carvers last blog post..Dona Nobis Pacem
It’s all for the children, isn’t it? Peace. For the children.
Hahn at Homes last blog post..Dona Nobis Pacem
Reading this… makes me proud to call you “neighbor”. I don’t know what else to say.
Mojos last blog post..Dona Nobis Pacem
this is a POST!!!! wonderful writing ,powerful and well done Lee
Beautiful words! Peace to you and yours.
Let’s hope we can make a great start to a better world for that beautiful girl!!
Thanks for stopping by:)
Peace to you and your family
Purrs Mickey,Georgia & Tillie
Lee, I agree with Mimi, this is a remarkable post.
I love posts that are so personal and full of feeling.
I do hope we can give our children and grandchildren a better world.
Peace, brother!
This is one of the greatest meme and it’s wonderful how everyone has something in common – Peace!
Peace to you and yours
Hi Lee,
I am so glad you stopped by my blog today and it brought me here.
Your post is so touching. I just came from one that had Peace – For The Children and what makes yours so heartfelt for me is that I too have a granddaughter whose name is Lily (10months).
Thank you.
Peace and Blessings
Carlettas last blog post.."Dona Nobis Pacem" Latin for "Grant Us Peace"
Hello Lee,
Such a touching post;and I love your peace globe !!
Peace for all the children in the world.
barbaras last blog post..Dona Nobis Pacem
Just beautiful and beauty-full.
Peace blessings to you.
Michelles last blog post..Dona nobis pacem
I was in tears reading your post. I couldn’t agree more. Someday when I am with child, I would have to speak these same words. It is unfortunate that our children and children’s children would have to pay the price. Let us all hope and pray that it would not be TOO late.
Peace to you and your loved ones!
Big Eyed Gals last blog post..Dona Nobis Pacem
Beautiful Dad….I will put a copy of this in her baby book.
Deightful!
Peace and many blessings!
Sometimes Saintly Nicks last blog post..Blogblast for Peace
Lee, thank you for a beautiful post and precious peace globe. You certainely have left Lilly a legacy for her future. What great grandparents! I am deeply moved by the situation of our children, especially those living in hunger. I believe it is possible to end world hunger.
May you have a wonderful peace day forever. Thank you for stopping by my blog. Peace and Love.
Pams last blog post..What can I say after yesterday?
To all: Thank you all for your kind comments. I am gratified that so many of you were touched by my words. To my daughter Suzie, I want you to know how much it means to me that you are going to save this for Lilly. That was my hope when I wrote it, but I didn’t want to presume to tell you that.
It was an honor to participate in the third installment of Dona Nobis Pacem, and I want to thank Mimi Lenox for her leadership and inspiration in making this important initiative a reality. Wikipedia may have decreed this to be frivolous, but we know better. My guess is that it will eventually grow to the point where they will have no choice but to eat their words.
Everyone who visits and leaves a comment on this blog contributes to any success I might realize through my endeavors. I blog because it gives me an outlet for thoughts, both serious and humorous, that sometimes consume me. Every once in a while I get it right and strike a chord with a majority of people who read my posts. In my heart I believe that it is those times when a Power Greater Than Myself is at work, guiding my fingers over the keyboard.
Thank you all again for participating in Dona Nobis Pacem with your own posts and your contributions to the comments here.
Lee – The Tarheel Rambler
A stunning letter of love and peace and hope for the future.
Diannes last blog post..Wordzzle Time!