Three years ago this month, my husband and I were on a cruise ship in the Caribbean when the United States began bombing Iraq. We watched the shock and awe unfold in the bright sunshine, drinks in hand. I wasn't shocked by the beginning of the war and in fact was surprised President Bush waited as long as he did once Congress signed the blank check granting him war powers. So many of my fears have come to pass in these last three years I feel like I had the power to predict the future. Alas, I'm not that gifted, I just paid attention to my inner voice and gut instinct that said war with Iraq was inevitable and we were all just along for the ride in a car driven by Dick Cheney and his neo-conservative posse. I get the feeling that George W. was pretty keen on the idea of being a "war President" and getting to strut around like the cock of the walk, commanding the respect of the military and the general public. Respect he hadn't earned but wanted none the less.

This war has personally cost me and my family dearly. I have effectively lost the career I spent more than 20 years building, my earning potential has fallen through the basement and my reputation was torn asunder for my anti-war statements and opinions. You see I was anti-war when anti-war wasn't cool, it was traitorous especially in the deep South. But my losses are nothing compared to the soldiers, reporters, civilians and contract workers who have lost their lives, limbs and peace of mind because of this senseless, endless war.

This Sunday, March 19th, the Greenville, South Carolina Anti-War Society will honor our fallen soldiers with a rally and vigil in downtown Greenville. 2,320 candles will be lit; each bearing the name of a soldier who has died. Speeches will be made and tears will be shed but I think my focus will on the candles. For each of those candles, there are families, friends, co-workers, acquaintances of the dead who mourn and remember.

If you can't attend the rally, go to church and pray or take a moment from your busy Sunday and think about the soldiers who bravely go where their superiors order them to go, facing danger, uncertainty and constant fear. Remember the mom's and dads, brothers, sisters, who lost someone irreplaceable in their lives. Feel their pain, send them comfort in your thoughts and hope that this war will not be in vain.

Let's all hope and pray that the Iraq war will finally teach us the true cost of armed conflict and sear it into our memories so that we can choose leaders who fight for peace and justice