Historian Stephen Ambrose wrote a wonderful narrative history of World War II in Europe called Band of Brothers, which later became a mini-series. He traced Easy Company, of the 2nd Division of the 506th Regiment of the 101st Airborne Division, who parachuted behind the lines on D-Day, went north to an invasion of Holland, then found themselves at the heart of the Battle of the Bulge. Later they invaded Germany and were stunned when they come across a concentration camp. They eventually wind up in Bavaria and take Hitler’s mountain hideaway – the Eagle’s Nest. He did extensive interviews with those veterans to get the stories straight. It’s stunning to watch a single company push through all of those critical moments, and it is a true story.
Read MoreToday we are blessed to honor eight graduates. Not all of them could be here today but we’ll honor all eight and recognize those absent when they are next with us.
There are several overlapping patterns to note with this rather august group. First, all of our graduates, including two from high school, five from college and one with a master’s degree, are moving into areas of public care and service.
Read MoreToday I’ve got to pull Good Shepherd Sunday at Church of the Good Shepherd together with Mother’s Day. And so, naturally, I turn to penguins; specifically, a movie called March of the Penguins.
March of the Penguins documents how emperor penguins survive and even thrive in the world’s harshest environment. By harsh, I mean the temperature gets as low as minus 80 degrees. And it’s windy, at times up to hurricane-force winds.
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