When horrible, unfair things happen, we may equally witness the humanity of people reaching out to help others across great barriers and distance. Such heroic acts of compassion help to deflect the injustice of random chaos. Out of the chaos, collective grief gives rise to consecrated places where every person's expression of love and loss is honored. And in our own backyard, candlelight vigils, MADD crosses, personalized markers and rituals all symbolize the named place where the event and the last breath was taken. The sharing of our world wounds is interpersonal and universal.
Healing is a long stretch of the imagination from the counterpoint of trauma and tragedy.
Yet, some hopeful light is shed whenever I witness in others the courage to grieve, to live with the unanswered questions and to release the scenes that cause a resurgence of suffering and guilt. Inside the darkness, there is a wisdom to still choose life, and one day perhaps, to know the peace that softens sorrow.