Driving home yesterday with the radio warning of impending tornadoes, I took a photo through the car window, wondering if it would be my last. The threat moved swiftly through the night, with the thunderous bolts of light traveling to nearby States, where it stole homes and lives. And while I awakened to song birds and crisp charged air, others picked up the pieces of their lives.
How can we make sense of tragedy? Flight 370, the Mount Everest avalanche, the South Korean ferry accident, the murderous rampages in our schools..... We want to blame someone--the government, global warming, ideologies and/or religious beliefs, the system (whatever that might be). But in the end, our attempts to understand the horror often fall short of resolution. And, we are left with our tears--for ourselves and for others.
The poet, Ralph Waldo Emerson, wrote: life is a succession of lessons which must be lived to be understood. Sometimes it is only in looking back that we can glean value for what we have endured. Even so, this backwards-looking glimpse does not fully answer the question "why?" And, so it is that many of us continue our quest--to discover or uncover that which seems hidden from reach.
Our solace is found in beauty, in love, and in the Divine. Perhaps a child's embrace fills our aching heart, maybe a brilliant sunset takes our breath away, or perhaps a heartfelt Gospel song helps us soar. We may not be able to answer the ultimate "why" question, but we experience the whispers of truth throughout our day... and for those whispers, I pray--for all who know suffering.
How can we make sense of tragedy? Flight 370, the Mount Everest avalanche, the South Korean ferry accident, the murderous rampages in our schools..... We want to blame someone--the government, global warming, ideologies and/or religious beliefs, the system (whatever that might be). But in the end, our attempts to understand the horror often fall short of resolution. And, we are left with our tears--for ourselves and for others.
The poet, Ralph Waldo Emerson, wrote: life is a succession of lessons which must be lived to be understood. Sometimes it is only in looking back that we can glean value for what we have endured. Even so, this backwards-looking glimpse does not fully answer the question "why?" And, so it is that many of us continue our quest--to discover or uncover that which seems hidden from reach.
Our solace is found in beauty, in love, and in the Divine. Perhaps a child's embrace fills our aching heart, maybe a brilliant sunset takes our breath away, or perhaps a heartfelt Gospel song helps us soar. We may not be able to answer the ultimate "why" question, but we experience the whispers of truth throughout our day... and for those whispers, I pray--for all who know suffering.
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