Good Morning, God!
Last month, friends and I were lunching at the Honolulu Academy of Arts. Afterwards we looked around the gift shop. I was making my usual slow circuit of the room when I came to the far corner and all of a sudden THERE WAS A WINDOW that I swear I had never seen before. I called my friends over and asked them, “Is this NEW?” They both agreed they didn’t remember a window there.
Now, really, God, I don’t think they cut into the stone and installed a new window! But, maybe it had been covered over by a display or bookcase? We asked the staff. No, the window had ALWAYS been there. I went back and took photos — so if it disappeared I would have a record!
Life is FILLED with things — that have always been there — that we suddenly see. I had an historical “new window” show up yesterday. Delancyplace.com had an excerpt from John Keegan’s book, The First World War, talking about the strike that the French Army held in 1917 during World War I. It wasn’t a mutiny — they didn’t kill their officers — it was rather a “reluctance, if not refusal, to take part in fresh attacks.” In other words, they didn’t want to participate in the senseless slaughter of attacking point blank into the enemies’ machine guns. But, they did fight if the enemy attacked.
Apparently this started in April of 1917 and continued on through the entire year. Imagine, God, half an army engaging in a sort of civil disobedience! In resisting the madness of trench warfare they showed more good sense than any military leader or politician. Bravo, French Army of 1917, BRAVO!

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