Anyone who has heard the haunting sounds of the bugle's call at the end of the day, knows what memories this tune stirs.  May we work together with the same kind of courage, sacrifice, and sense of duty  to  heal, unite, and transform the world as a way to honor all who have sacrificed, suffered, and carried the wounds that have been the result of violence, terrorism, and war.

                                                   "Taps"


Each night, just a few minutes before 10:00, I move from whatever I am doing and stand on my front porch.  On the small landing at the top of the brick staircase, I stand in the evening chill looking out, waiting.  Regardless the weather, I wait in anticipation, looking up at the clear, dark starry sky or out across the fog-shrouded hillside over the rooftops.  At precisely 10:00 P.M., I hear the clear, plaintive sound of the bugler’s voice  as “Taps” begins at the Presidio.  

Across the hill top the song of the bugle resounds its deep, mournful tones, echoing.  The beauty of this stirring moment is unlike any other for me.  “Day is done” the words come to mind, “Gone the sun, from the lakes, from the hills, from the seas.” I listen as the tune echoes out across the safe, little neighborhood of tiny homes nestled securely, comfortably on this hillside.  “All is well, safely rest” the bugle sounds assuring us “God is nigh.”  
    
And each night as I repeat this ritual, my heart stirs deeply as I remember those of you who are far from home, fighting battles on distant shores under desert skies, away from the peace and safety of your homes, and I whisper a prayer of thanks and a plea for protection and grace for all God’s children.  May we each hear the call of the bugler reassuring us that “All is well, safely rest…God is nigh.”

Copyright by Catherine Al-Meten, 2008