Beautiful Letter

I read this beautiful letter to the editor in the USA Today when I was traveling this week:

Soldiers saved by fallen comrades should learn to just live

Kimberly Schliesmann - Chicago

I felt compelled to write to USA TODAY after reading the profoundly moving article about soldiers who sacrifice their safety and their lives so their comrades can live ("In Iraq, coping after a hero dies saving you," Cover story, News, Thursday).

I want to thank USA TODAY for this portrait of the sacrifice these soldiers have made. I also want to offer some words of comfort to those who have survived this kind of ordeal.

I was struck by how the survivors in the article talked of struggling to live lives "worthy" of the sacrificial act of their fellow soldiers. However noble this is, worthiness is not what these soldiers died for. They died not so that their fellow comrades could live an extraordinary life, but so that their comrades in arms could live through the ups and downs of the ordinary life we all live. They died because they loved their comrades.

I offer these words out of love and compassion. I also had someone die for me, though I was not there to witness it.

Jesus Christ died for me on the cross. Just like the surviving soldiers who think of their comrades every day, I think of Christ and his sacrifice every day. My life has changed because of my awareness, acceptance and gradual understanding of that sacrifice. I know I will never be worthy, but I know that is OK. I do my best to serve and love those around me because of the profound gratitude I feel toward Christ. I fail a lot, but I do my best. Accepting this has brought me peace and strength. Understanding that I could never really do anything worthy of such a profound sacrifice is humbling, but it is healthy.

I wish with all my heart that at some point, these soldiers will know that it is enough simply to live with gratitude.