The Fly-Over

Thank you for the food we eat; Thank you for the world so sweet; Thank you for the birds that sing; Thank you, God, for everything.

The time read 9:59 a.m. on Saturday morning. I was situated on the south side of the Reflecting Pool, somewhere around the middle, just under the shade of the trees. The size of the crowd was impressive and still more people were streaming in. It was just a gorgeous day.

We were all looking forward, literally and figuratively, to the show about to begin on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial. Suddenly, from the east end of the pool, there was a shout, “Hey, look!” and then there was a rumbling roar from the crowd that swept down the pool. All heads turned.

“What?” I thought in amusement. “Is Glenn Beck making a grand entrance in a boat down the Reflecting Pool to the Memorial, past the throngs of admirers?” But the people were looking up at the sky not down at the pool.

A flock of geese came flying down the reflecting pool in a perfect V formation, straight down the center towards the Memorial. There was such a roar of cheering, clapping, shouting, and whooping. God had cued the geese just in time to start the show.

The Media missed it, though. Our family and friends waiting back home missed it because the Media missed it. Even Glenn Beck himself missed it. I wasn’t ready with my camera, but some prescient person was and the photo is on Glenn Beck’s rally photos website.

The lead goose, it looked to me, gave a worried whew! as he flew on by. I know how he felt. But what a sight! It was so inspiring. All of us there knew it was God’s handiwork. Skeptics will probably try to claim that Glenn Beck staged it or something. Other skeptics will call it a coincidence (one minute before the show was to start).

I’m not what you would call a “religious” person. I don’t read my Bible on a daily basis, though I do poke my nose into it once awhile to make sure God and I are on the same page. I don’t go to church regularly. I used to, as part of a church’s band. But we stopped going (much to my consternation – God was good to me in that church – I had a brand new xylophone, a beautiful set of orchestra bells, a student vibraphone, and electronic chimes: what more could a bell player want?).

I’m a die-hard Tea Partier. I love the rallies. I love the signs. I love the cheering crowds. But Beck wanted this to be about God, and that was okay by me. I might have preferred the tea partyish 9/12 rally instead, but my schedule simply wouldn’t allow it.

If I was going to be part of any big scene, this Restoring Honor Rally was it. He billed it as a tribute to the military and gave hints that it would also have a spiritual element. Asking for God’s help; I was cool with that.

When he spoke about getting right with God again, I looked over the massive crowd, most of hidden by the trees, though anyone on the ground could easily see the great number of people gathered together.

A moment of justice had arrived and I was glad to be part of it. This was for all the school boards who stopped school choirs and bands from playing Christmas carols. This was for all the municipal boards who forced the Nativity scene to be removed from public squares. This was for all the military chaplains forced to perform rites against their faith. This was for all the high school football coaches who could no longer lead their young teams in prayer.

This was for the milk and cookies prayer ban.

When I was five, in kindergarten, we had a daily ritual at milk and cookies time. Our teacher would lead us in a simple little prayer to give thanks for our blessing of milk and cookies. Once a week, a student was allowed to lead the prayer. The students were chosen alphabetically; it took a long time for my turn to come around.

Finally, the week came. I practiced and practiced and memorized and memorized. I was so excited; this was such an honor, that I wanted to make sure I got every word right. My father, an agnostic who’d been ex-communicated from the Catholic church for marrying a Lutheran woman who refused to raise us in the Catholic faith, helped me.

At milk and cookies time, I stood up, ready to do the honors. Instead, the teacher told me to sit down; that there would be no prayer that day.

“But today’s my turn!” I protested. “I’ve been practicing and practicing all week!”

She apologized. She explained it wasn’t anything that I’d done wrong. A court had ruled that prayers in schools were unconstitutional – illegal – against the law. I’d heard something about it on the radio that morning, but only being five, I didn’t really understand. I thought it just meant that preachers couldn’t come into schools with their Bibles. I didn’t think it meant that little children couldn’t say a little prayer of thanksgiving over their milk and cookies.

Being five, I wept bitterly. I was so disappointed. Not just became I’d done all that work for nothing, but because I regarded God as my friend. He looked after all of us, I was taught. You could trust Him, in a way you couldn’t trust anyone else. If He wasn’t there to protect us, who would? I was angry and swore an oath that I would never memorize anything again.

Glenn Beck gave God an invitation to his rally on Aug. 28th and God accepted. The geese were his messengers, acknowledging the invitation.

Thank you for the flowering valley; Thank you for the Glenn Beck Rally; Thank you for the flying geese; Thank you, God, for restoring peace!