SAL Chaplain: Check up on our fellow Legion Family members

Have you ever wondered, “Do my prayers actually matter?” Or perhaps you have wanted to do more but are discouraged, so it seems that thoughts and prayers are all you can do?

Every day, we find ourselves at a crossroads of sorts in managing the stresses of the bubble around us, being empathetic to those outside our immediate bubble, and yet still perhaps stuck on the thinking that words may not seem to be enough — so we lose hope. We lose focus and even miss when something simple may be just what is needed at that time.

This is where the power of prayer, the buddy check, a random phone call, an invite for coffee, even a simple message of, “I’m thinking about you today; I hope your day is going well; I’m here to chat if you need anything,”  can make the difference for someone across the Legion Family.

Knowing that you’re thought about and cared for in whatever form that looks like is extremely powerful.  This isn’t solely a Legion-thing, or an SAL-thing or an Auxiliary-thing or a Riders-thing. It’s a Family thing.

It’s recognizing that sometimes our silos can get in the way of compassion, of care, of being present. The thinking that buddy checks are just for Legion members and that the “Be the One” mission is just for veterans could not be further from the truth.

It is our job as a Legion Family to be a Legion Family across all levels, across all generations from the “most seasoned” of members to the young still learning to navigate this world, and across all the silos in our lives.

For God and Country we associate ourselves together.

We are in challenging times in our country, in our state and in our communities.  Many in our American Legion Family are hurting, in ways that are visible and obvious, and yet in many ways that may not be obvious, in ways that may not even make sense, but still very much present, and very much taking it’s toll.

May we be present, may we continue to open our hearts and not be afraid to check-in in whatever form that we can.

Matthew Verkuilen of Aviation Squadron 511 in Crystal is the chaplain for the SAL Detachment of Minnesota.