Resurgam transitions into Viriditas – the greening power of creation.
Continue reading “The beauty of renewal”The beauty of renewal
Pax (peace) in Montfaucon
It’s a notable discovery when a single nugget of information ‘suddenly’ transforms a place. This summer I found a new connection to an old story. Turns out there was a Benedictine monastery in Montfaucon, France. It was destroyed in World War I although some church ruins remain.
There would have been a main entrance to the grounds of the former Benedictine monastery founded in the 6th century. Over the archway would have been the message: Pax intrantibus—Peace to those who enter here. (Or perhaps just Pax.)
Continue reading “Pax (peace) in Montfaucon”Beauty as seen by Sandy Kempner
“It makes a sound, and the plant was beautiful, and the thought was kind, and the person was humane, and distinguished and brave, not merely because other people recognized it as such, but because it is, and it is, and it is.“
Dear Aunt Fannie,
This morning, my platoon and I were finishing up a three-day patrol. Struggling over steep hills covered with hedgerows, trees, and generally impenetrable jungle, one of my men turned to me and pointed a hand, filled with cuts and scratches, at a rather distinguished-looking plant with soft red flowers waving gaily in the downpour (which had been going on ever since the patrol began) and said, “That is the first plant I have seen today which didn’t have thorns on it.” I immediately thought of you.
The Power of “Remember Them” – They Continue to Live and Become “Known”
In memory and in honor of the unknown soldiers of Alpha Company, many who became known due to the efforts of Phil Woodall. An excerpt from his first letter, so many years ago:
Dear Jean,
East 47 has an answer – the letter to Alpha Company is a poem. It is attached for you. I placed it at the base of panel 47 because on rows five and six are three Alpha Company members: Lt. Gary Scott, Lt. Frank Rodriquez, and PFC Manuel Ruiz – all killed March 29, 1968 in a paddy around Hue. The dates are documented in the book “Dear America,” excerpted from a letter that I wrote my Dad on April 5, 1968; the day after Martin Luther King was slain.
Continue reading “The Power of “Remember Them” – They Continue to Live and Become “Known””
Life’s Reflection at 47E – the Interconnectedness of One Veteran’s Action to Remember Them
I visited 47E at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial on Labor Day. It’s been over two decades since my last visit. The photo is my attempt to capture the light, life’s reflections and the promise of RESURGAM, which is a vast interconnectedness that keeps weaving through time.
As for words, remembering Phil Woodall is important. His name is not on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial. He’s the Vietnam veteran who drew my attention to 47E with two written words: Alpha Company.
creative meander 