Sadly, we live in a world in which violent acts- attempts to harm another- are increasing dramatically. My heart goes ut to all those affected by violent acts. And it goes well beyond the intended victim.
David Wallace, a visionary, often said to us in seminary, "Wake up." We as a country and a world need to heed those words. Despair is not an option.
Recently, I was on a flight on a no-frills airline, Breeze. It was a full flight and, in the seat in fron of me was a grandmother with an 18-month old child. Instead of being ignored by those around her or, worse yet, glared at, this woman and her child were embraced by all the people nearby. The person next to her helped to entertain the little boy. Another helped fill a bottle and then shared a picture of her grandson. When we landed, the grandmother asked people to look for the bottle which had rolled away and someone found it and gave it to her. Instead of being focused on themselves and getting off the plane ASAP, people took the time to be kind.
This is one way to wake up- spread kindness. Care for one another. I witnessed strangers doing this on a plane. Mutiply this event by the thousands. One event at a time. We can do this. We have to do this. Amen.
