War

It is getting dark outside. I can hear the click and clack of pots and pans from the kitchen. My mouth starts watering. It is dinner time. Oops! A drop of my saliva lands on my homework. Splash. The ink dissolves, the numbers disappear, and with that goes the answer to the math problem I was working on. Patting the paper with my sleeve, I look at my younger brother and sister sitting across the table from me to see if they noticed the mess.

I can smell the aroma of mother father's pipe from the next room. He is watching the news on TV. The curtains are closed shut so the light will not escape. It has been like this since the war started a couple of months ago. They say this way the enemy planes cannot see us from the sky. It reminds me of my cat Sophia hiding under the table. Since she cannot see me, she thinks I can not see her either.

Suddenly the screaming sound of a siren makes me jump off the chair. The electricity is cut off. the feeling of safety disappears, along with the hope of eating the eggplant casserole. Choking on my saliva, I follow my Dad's flashlight, as he is shouting, "Maryam, everybody, hurry up, let's go to the basement!"

The planes are early tonight. I thought I had gotten used to this, but my heart is beating as fast as the first time. The siren is hurting my ears. As usual it is followed by a deafening silence. I hate this silence. You cannot hear the planes. The are too far up in the sky. What makes me sure they are flying above our head is the thundering sound of anti-missile guns shooting furiously in the air.

My mind jumps back and forth between the eggplant casserole and the fireworks outside. I snuggle closer toward my Dad. I look suspiciously around for SPIDERS. One thing for sure that I hate more than those bombers are spiders. My thoughts are interrupted by the ground shaking explosions. I can feel my heart beating so hard now, it is definitely out of my body bouncing around the basement.

And then there is silence again. Several minutes pass by. The radio announces we can come out of our shelters. Yeah! Hooray! It is over, for now. I already smell the rice. After all I can have my eggplant casserole.

Then I sense the familiar nauseating feeling in the pit of my stomach. I feel this way every night after things get quiet. I want it to go away. Something is not quite right. The thing is, now I know, for sure, somebody out there is not going to have dinner, nor do they have to worry about their homework ever. I feel guilty, as if I made the choice.

I squeeze my Mom's hand. I won't think about it now, not tonight. Maybe tomorrow night, I will not have to choose.

Reflecting through a Child's Eyes:

• How do you think Maryam feels about her life and family before the bombs come? How do you think she feels after the bombing strikes?
• Place yourself in her shoes. What would you want to tell the people in charge of the war?
• Say a prayer for Maryam and all the children touched by the horrors of war throughout the world. Say a prayer of peace for all the earth.

Reflecting through God's Word:

• What causes war? One response is found in James 4:1-2. What do you think?
• Read Isaiah 2:2-4 (and Micah 4:1-4). Compare and contrast these two passages. How are they similar? How are they different? What do you think Maryam would have to say about these passages? What vision of life do these passages offer Maryam, her siblings, and other children of war?
• Find a partner or two and write or imagine a peaceful ending to Maryam's story.
• List some ways that your church or group can help to bring about peace and offer support for children of war.

Prayer:
God of peace, let your peace begin in our own hearts and homes. Forgive us when we take sides and draw our own battle lines in politics or issues of faith. In our own search for peace, may we be instruments of peace to others. Show us ways to bring shalom to your world. Bless and protect the innocent who get caught in the middle of a battlefield of war or words. May they know your true peace, shalom, in the name of Christ, who is the Prince of Peace, we pray. Amen.

Resources
Printable Version — pdf / Word
Graphics
UNICEF: Voice of Youth—http://www.unicef.org/voy
School Discovery—http://school.discovery.com/ (Click on Lessons Plans and then search "Children of War" )
No Place to Be A Child: Growing Up in a War Zone — James Garbarino