We always think, “That can’t happen to us,” but one day, it -whatever ‘it’ is- does. On Sunday, it happened in a church in the heart of our country.
I feel sadness for the people that have died, for those that were injured, and for the families and friends of this congregation who must make sense of what has happened. It’s horrifying that this man walked into a house of worship, filled with families enjoying a children’s production, and opened fire. The children who saw it happen, from their viewpoints in the front of the room…the families who teach their children about loving everyone, about helping others, about respecting differences…now have to figure out how to forgive a man who aimed such hate into their world, and tarnished the bright shine of their children’s innocence.
My heart goes out to these families, these children, this congregation. The situation strikes home especially since I’ve so fallen in love with a UU church family here in my town. The thought lingers in the back of my mind, “That could have been OUR church.” And I tremble.
I cannot stand at their sides, hold their hands, or catch their tears. I am too far away. Still, I stand with these folks in Tennessee, as they do their best to heal, to understand, and to mourn. They do not stand alone…there are many of us standing with them.
July 29th, 2008 at 9:03 am - Edit
oh man… this is awful!! i used to live in knoxville, tennessee. this is a sister church to a UU my son and i used to go to. (we were about 20 miles away, in oak ridge.) our hearts and prayers go out to everyone involved.