Editor:

This Memorial Day, we just need to open our eyes to see the closed-mindedness that causes military conditions everywhere. Some remember 70 years ago when WWII terrorized us, which includes a young lady who lived in a town north of London but now resides in Evanston.

Thirty years later, I experienced the horrors of the Vietnam era when I served in the Navy as a security guard. Now again, 40 years following, we’re fighting not just the dangerous foe ISIS but also a war on our own turf with political, spiritual and health divisions. Definitely, we have wars going on inside and outside us. 

In nature, we see the living biome (earth) with plants, animals and societies while, inside of us, we see a microbiome with bacteria and probiotics that outnumber our cells and are responsible for everything from immunity to mental health. 

In the world, I feel the U.S. is like our probiotics, meant to bring health and peace, but has lately been consuming a corrupt diet of bad morals and secularism. This has weakened our defenses and produced family breakups, additions and violence. C.S. Lewis said, “Mental pain is less dramatic than physical pain, but it is more common and also more hard to bear.” 

However, I found an inner resolve on the wall of a dentist’s office: “Open your mouth wide, and I will fill it” (Psalm 81:10), and I realize God wants to bless us immensely. And I know the best ammunition against our many external and internal assaults can be won with love, just as our Founding Fathers realized when they read Matthew 11:28, “Come unto Me all who are burdened and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest.” 

There is hope, and we have overcome the enemy. 

Maureen Smith

Evanston