Although I rarely comment on current events I cannot ignore the grief and confusion associated with Connecticut's Sandy Hook Elementary School tragedy. In reality, it is everyone's tragedy. Though there could never have been a "more appropriate time", the loss of twenty six lives just before Christmas seems doubly painful. As debates about gun control and/or mental illness flood cyberspace, the truth still stands: these were heinous and irrevocable acts of violence.
Perhaps the grief I feel has been exacerbated by a current work project. I have been honoured by a local Jewish businessman's request that I write his family history book. The loss of a grandfather to the gas chambers, the internment of family members and the lingering sense of loss and pain that also result from heinous and inexplicable acts of violence only serve to reinforce the suffering endured by too many, too many times.
As individuals I believe the most appropriate response is to live in such a way that our immediate world is affected positively. How to do that is the question. One suggestion came from a respected friend: just for today do not allow yourself to complain. Then tomorrow and every day following, determine to be grateful.
Being grateful isn't about pretending that everything is rosy; it's about focusing on what is praiseworthy in the midst of everything that is not. So what difference does that make? As simplistic as it may seem, to be grateful affects our outlook, brings us into closer relationship with others, provides the incentive to carry on and centres our focus on the possible as opposed to the seemingly impossible. While practicing that principle, let's remember to pray for those who have been bereaved.
"Bear one another's burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ." (Galatians 6:2)
We neither give nor receive a greater gift.
