A day of preparation for the celebration to come…

A day of remembrance and prayer so that we might understand better that which we are celebrating–a country built on freedom.

I relish this pause in our busy schedules so that we might remember, as a country, all of our history.

All Souls’ Day, 1897, Joza Uprka (1861-1940) oil on canvas 31.2 x 40.1 inches,                       Prague Czech Republic

This scene, painted in 1897, by Czech painter Joza Uprka, captured my attention this week. It isn’t a summer scene, however it is outdoors and full of the color red and so I think appropriate for our notice this week.

The scene focuses on a group of 5 girls, wearing beautiful traditional dress, gathered around a sort of pumpkin lantern to read and to pray and to remember their loved ones. They…