The old woman was sweeping her floor that was covered in dirt from the blown-out walls from the bombs that struck her apartment building. Her morning chores were still the same as they were before; the sweeping of the floors that turned to rubble, the washing of the broken dishes, and the cleaning of the shattered windows. Her home was still a home to her. Either her thoughts were centered upon her trying to forget the tragedy that just occurred or her mind that was disarranged from the bombing.
As the tears of sadness streamed down her cheeks, she thought about the days when her grandchildren and neighbors used to come and visit. They just loved her delicious dinners. Then for desert they would bite into her famous apple crumb pies that she baked, then sat around, talked, and filled themselves with laughter.
She is a victim of some tyrant’s vision of conquest, of rising up to put himself in the history books. He broke away from the needs of his people and went out on his own to rule the world. He promised them a good life and ended up destroying everything they worked for. He gained their support with his rousing speeches, but gradually lost it from his selfish deeds. They became pawns in his war efforts.
The history of the world is formed by the greed of the conquerors, the empires that were built up from the wars. It overshadows the culture that still existed even though it didn’t help shape the world and its boundaries. The tyrants are still romanticized and revered in books, but the poor old lady who was mentioned before was a pawn of them and has long been forgotten. But at least peace and the good it leads to still remain with them all, and the culture will survive throughout the ages. Thanks be to God and the love of peace.