The Lost Smile
One hundred years from now people living on a greener Earth in a kinder society will thank us for what we are doing today. They will see us on holograms, wearing our masks, looking earnestly at the camera. “The people who lost their smiles”, they will call us, since for so long our smiles were hidden. But not our tears.
The history classes of that time will show the depth of the struggle and the loss. It will amaze future generations how resilient we were, adapting to every assault, moving forward against great odds. We may not feel so heroic, but they will see some of us that way. We will be beacons in a dark part of history, a proof that people are stronger when they stand together. One hundred years from today people will remember us and be grateful. That’s why today, and all the days like it, are so important.
-- The Right Reverend Steven Charleston,
Man of faith from the Choctaw Nation
Retired Bishop of Alaska,
Retired Dean of Episcopal Diving School, Cambridge
The Bishop that ordained Father Alan Hesse on behalf of the Diocese of Iowa, 2001
