This week's Immediate Word concerns Jeremiah and his laments over Jerusalem (Lamentations 1:1-6; 3:19-26). We, too, have cities we lament -- most notably New York (recalling the 9/11 attacks) and Baghdad (as we see so few signs of progress for the long-suffering Iraqis). Ironically, Baghdad is quite near Babylon, the city whose armies Jeremiah was anticipating would soon arrive, to lay waste to his own land. How little we have learned, in all those millennia! It is wise to plant our faith seeds carefully and nurture them tenderly to help us heal from our grief.