War and invisible things

Two thoughts have come to mind today - which is Remembrance Day in many countries. 

This week I met a new friend. This woman is a bit older than I am and we met through a mutual friend. My new friend is from Bavaria and one of things she shared with me was a bit about her life in Germany during the war. My friend worked in the Messerschmidt factory and there met her husband. She showed me an article from a newspaper about her work and in it was a photo of her with a handsome young Luftwaffe pilot. Perhaps he was a pilot who dropped bombs on London...

Our meeting being so close to Remembrance Day raised some conflicting emotions in me. I could remember my own war time childhood here in Canada - the things we said and wrote about the Germans and the Japanese (which is another reflection because my hairdresser is Japanese). They were the enemy. But now, they are friends. Did we ever think this would be possible? Perhaps not. But I am glad that I have met my new friend, glad that we do not have to hate one another.

But... did we ever really have to hate each other? We were told they were our enemies and it is true, they were causing us harm. But were they/are they not also children of God? A God who loves all of us however badly we may act toward one another. I have said this before, I know, but I want to keep saying it: do we have to see others as enemies? Do we have to hate others even when they act badly? I am not suggesting we not defend ourselves or our country or our families if they are attacked. But that still doesn't mean we have to hate - or so it seems to me.

The other thought that came to mind today: how amazing and beautiful are some unseen things. What am I thinking of? Well, this morning I was looking up at the blue sky... a rather rare vision these grey days of November. And I remembered a software program designed by my nephew called Starry Night. In that program you can turn off the daylight and see the stars that are shining right now. So when I look up at the blue sky I know the stars are there, still shining beautifully away, but I cannot see them. Wow. 

Another thing we cannot see which is amazing is the air we breathe. We take it so much for granted and yet, it is just ...there. We can't, strictly speaking, see love either but as with the other things, we can experience their effects. We know when someone loves us, we know that there is air to breath because we are still alive and even the stars - because don't the scientists tell us we are made of stardust? Perhaps most of all, we cannot quite see God - but I believe in God's existence and I believe I see God's love all around me.

Are these two thoughts related? I don't know but I guess it would be a lovely thing if we could spend more time being amazed and grateful for the air and the stars and love and God and share that amazement and gratitude with others so that maybe that would destroy the hate.