Spiritual Development

Chaplain Larry Connelly on hope through the light

A Candle in the Window

There’s a candle in the window
For our soldier off at war,
Standing constant vigil ’til
His foreign tour is o’er.

The sentinel stands faithfully
Through day and dark of night,
Reminding all who look its way,
To pray for Freedom’s fight.

For safety and for courage,
And for wisdom do we pray;
That God may grant him all these things
As his Comrade day by day.

Now stand, O Candle, bright and tall,
Alert us all, each one,
That the price of freedom is not cheap,
And its battle not yet done.

So light his way and burn for him,
And for his safe returning;
Our love will be the fuel that keeps
Our soldier’s candle burning.

The day our son, Nathan, left for Iraq, my brother and his wife called to ask us out to dinner. After hearing a friend talk about the idea of giving an electric candle to the families of those who had been deployed, they decided to do that for us, and gave a candle to us that night. After dinner we came home and placed it in his window. It has now burned for the past 14 months, reminding us of what he and thousands of other men and women have given, and are giving, in service for our freedom. He is to arrive in Colorado Springs on Christmas Day. Needless to say we will be there...and the candle will continue to burn.


Chaplain Larry Connelly, M. Div., BCC. is director of Spiritual Care Services at Piedmont Hospital in Atlanta, Georgia where he has served for 27 years. He is married to Linda, a medical technologist for Children's Healthcare of Atlanta and they have two sons, Nathan, serving in the Armed Forces, and Ben, a student at Georgia Perimeter College. He is endorsed by the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship.

 

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