Remember the Stranger

My ministry has been fundraising at a Walmart supercenter since May.
The funds are being used to commemorate military crash sites thereby honoring fallen airmen.
The response of the public has been overwhelming for which I am grateful. I am also grateful for the individuals who have confided in me-often with tears, stories of their loved ones who have made the ultimate sacrifice to keep our country free. Here are some of their stories:

A grandfather who was shot down over Italy in World War ll.
A brother who died in an army helicopter crash during peacetime in the Philippines.
A friend whose jet never returned from a mission over Vietnam and to this day his fate is unknown.
A friend who witnessed the crash of an air force plane with eleven of his friends on board who were burned to death-Panama, Central America, during peacetime.
A grandfather who helped his crew bail out safely and because of saving his crew didn't have time to bail out himself and went down with his plane-World War ll.
A friend of an army soldier on an anti-drug mission in Central America who was shot by a drug smuggler and bled to death in the arms of a fellow soldier.

Jesus wants us to remember the stranger. It is important we don't forget our fallen and that without their ultimate sacrifice we would not live in the freeest country in the world.

Contemplative

The following quote from Sigmund Freud's book "Civilization and Its Discontents" is the best description of a contemplative and his transcendent role I have ever come across:

"To earth, this weary earth, ye bring us
To guilt ye let us heedless go,
Then leave repentance fierce to wring us:
A moment's guilt, an age of woe! Goethe's "Wilhelm Meister"

"And we may well heave a sigh of relief at the thought that it is nevertheless vouchsafed to a few to salvage without effort from the whirlpool of their own feelings the deepest truths, towards which the rest of us have to find our way through tormenting uncertainty and with restless groping."

I will always remember my grandmother Schweizer quoting Goethe to me. Perhaps she was my inspiration to lead a contemplative life.

Lighthouse of the Nation

Sam Walton, the founder of Walmart, wanted his legacy to be what Walmart did for the community. He wrote the following for his autobiography shortly before he died:

"For Walmart to maintain its position in the hearts of our customers, we have to study more ways we can give something back to our communities." Chapter 18-Wanting to Leave a Legacy, "Made in America," Sam Walton.

Because Walmart still allows non-profit charities to fundraise in front of all their stores Sam Walton's legacy continues to this day and is stronger than ever. Walmart is the leading retailer and I know Walmart is the leading corporation in giving back to their communities.
Someone once called Walmart the Lighthouse of the Ozarks and Sam would be proud Walmart has lived up to this description and has gone on to become the Lighthouse of the Nation through its continuing support of non-profit charities.
Thank you Walmart for allowing my non-profit charity to fundraise at your Walmart stores for over ten years.