"Remembering Friends and Family Who Have Gone On"

By Neil Schori

We don't always take time out of our Sunday morning gatherings at my church to honor specific holidays, but we did this past weekend for Memorial Day.  We remembered the sacrifice that many men and women made on our behalf so that we could live in the glorious freedom that we all appreciate here in the United States of America.  Remembering is important, isn't it?  In college for me, it was trying to remember that drinking too much was a bad idea.  Unfortunately, my memory was pretty short back then.  Thankfully, it's a lot better now.

On Memorial Day, my wife's Uncle Bret wrote this on his Facebook wall: "Remembering friends and family who have gone on."  Isn't that simply beautiful?  I don't do that enough because most of the time I'm just trying to keep up with "now."  How about you?  Do you take time to remember the people who have shaped your life?  Do you slow down enough in your fast-paced environment to allow yourself to process things and to actually feel your emotions?  Maybe you need to take a moment to do that right now.

While it is no longer Memorial Day, I still want to take a moment today to remember victims of intimate partner homicide.  I encourage you to do the same.  I thank God that I had the privilege of meeting Stacy Peterson.  She inadvertently directed me toward a path that has given greater definition and an even larger sense of purpose to my life.  Because of Stacy Peterson, my eyes and heart have been forever opened to women who suffer at the hands of the men who should care for them the very most. 

When I think about Stacy and her story, I don't only remember her.  I also think of the countless women out there whom have not yet broken out of their personal darkness.  I hope that today, as you live your life and try to keep motivated through the mundane that you'll also take time to remember.  Martin Luther King, Jr. once wrote: "Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere."  As I remember victims of intimate partner homicide today, I take what Dr. King said very seriously.  I will continue to pray for justice for Stacy and fight for justice for women everywhere.  You are not alone.

Peace,

Neil

Neil Schori is Pastor of Naperville Christian Church.  You can follow him on his website www.neilschori.com