Mid-1600s painter Giovanni Battista Beinaschi captures chaos at sea in “Neptune and the Nereids.” “Home” depicts a wounded soldier home from battle, welcomed by his mother, wife and baby, with the Bible open nearby. “Waiting for William” shows a woman gazing off to sea.
These caught my eye at the museum this week as I prayed and hoped along with the rest of the aviation community, military at large, humankind etc for good news to come out of the tragedy of the helicopter accident in Hawaii. Now the search for the 12 missing men has been called off. It’s awful enough when the missing are unknown strangers. Chris worked alongside one of the pilots at our last duty station. We often sat behind them at church. Their youngest arrived while I was pregnant with Eloise. We weren’t super close or anything, but as Chris said once, “They’re like the Marine version of how I see us in a few years.”
Filled with sorrow. I have not stopped praying for them.
Kathe Kollwitz sculpted “Soldiers’ Wives Waving Goodbye” in 1937, years after her son was killed in WWI. It’s on a pedestal right next to “Head of Christ,” a portrayal of Christ bearing our sorrows.
I was comforted by this artistically arranged juxtaposition of despair and holy empathy. “We do not know what to do, but our eyes are on you” (2 Chronicles 20:12).
The Wingman Foundation uses 100% of the donations to this fund to support the families of those 12 men. http://www.wingmanfoundation.org/463