Earlier, I wrote my blog for today and had it ready to
go out this morning. However, in between that time, we were all confronted with
the terrible tragedy in Paris. Therefore, this week I have written from my
heart and how I’m feeling about the horrific attacks in Paris.
I will tell you, ahead of time, that my thoughts are my
thoughts. They may offend some of you, however, hopefully what will happen is
for you to look deep into your heart and see what it is that you believe and if
your actions are reflecting your beliefs. If they are beliefs of hate, focusing
on differences etc., I would encourage you to rethink those beliefs as they are
NOT making a positive difference in the people around you or on this world in
general. If they are beliefs of acceptance of all differences without judgment
and your actions are actions of kindness, than I celebrate you and encourage
you to continue.
My thoughts and my heart go out to all the people of
Paris and around the world who had loved ones, friends, colleagues etc. massacred.
My thoughts and heart go out to all the survivors who endured this horrific
attack and are alive to see another day yet have stories and images which may
never go away. This pain and grief is unimaginable to me. We are all in shock
and disbelief.
These were INNOCENT
men, women, and children who were out on a Friday night planning to have an
enjoyable dinner, celebrate a birthday, have a fun time dancing and listening
to a concert etc. Instead they were gunned down without any regard to human life.
And to realize this was PLANNED. It was calculated and PLANNED!
The world can be a scary place especially now. We all
want to feel safe; however, tragedies like this make us question what we do and
where we go. With further threats on Washington DC and the lack of morality or
respect for life of any human being that doesn’t agree with the extremists, it
is difficult to smile, it’s difficult not to only focus on the bad. I caught
myself feeling anxious as we waited at the Denver airport on Friday getting
ready to fly to St. Louis. Would WE be safe flying? Would WE encounter problems
at the airport when we arrived?
It’s times like this that we realize how fragile life
truly is. Despite the brief moments of anxiousness, I also felt a resolve NOT
to be caught up in the negativity and the fear. That is not to say, I’m
ignoring the reality that this is a grave time for the entire world. However,
what I CHOOSE to focus on is that there is far more GOOD than bad. I CHOOSE to
focus on tapping into the good and love that exists in all of us, and I choose
to focus on DESTROYING this hate. I refuse to understand the belief system that
killing is the way to their god. My God is a loving, compassionate God who
embraces diversity.
I challenge all of us to find a way we can individually
tap into the GOOD that is around us and NOT the fears. It starts with waking up
each day giving thanks that we have another day on this earth, that may mean
telling those we love that they are loved and important in our lives, that may
mean not getting caught up in the trivia such as what cups Starbucks is using
to serve their coffee, that may mean rather than listening to 8 hours of CNN,
Fox etc which can only leave us with a negative, depressed mood, but rather
hear enough to get information and then turn around and do something POSITIVE
to counteract all this fear and violence.
Right now as you are
reading this decide what YOU can control. There are those living in hate
because of what happened generations ago but it’s not their personal reality,
there are people who are pointing the finger blaming others. I would say that’s
all #$#. Let’s STOP the blame, let’s STOP the finger pointing, let’s take
ACTION that will change not only our own life but the lives of those around us.
We CAN make a difference in our own little part of this world.
Be KIND because
none of us know what struggles others are living with in their lives. They may
have a relationship with someone in Paris who was killed, is a survivor, or who
lives in Paris. They may be living in a home of domestic abuse, alcoholism, other
addictions, or they are homeless. That person you are rude to today or that
person you cut off in traffic because they’re going too slow may be someone
dealing with a life threatening illness, or they just lost their job right
before the holidays. That person may be struggling with an autistic child or a
failing marriage. YOU NEVER KNOW SOMEONE
ELSE’S STRUGGLE.
Life is fragile. It’s a
gift as are ALL the people around you. There were people in the midst of the
massacre who opened their homes to the wounded; a man took action to help the
pregnant woman dangling from the window bringing her to safety, others took off
their shirts to stop the bleeding of a stranger etc. etc etc. There are many
more GOOD people in this world than bad. Did you also pay attention to the fact
that after this horrific tragedy, there was NOT looting of the businesses in
the streets of Paris, there were not fires intentionally set? There were
instead flowers placed near the sites of the shootings and bombs, people were
arm in arm singing songs of peace and the French anthem, there were signs of being
strong.
What is in your control
TODAY, TOMORROW, and in the future to make a difference? Let’s NOT be guilty of
doing kind things only over the holidays, or only for a short time. Let’s
commit to KINDNESS without judgment and blame EVERY day. Let’s commit to this daily life mindset. THEN we can truly make a change for
generations to come.
Good
triumphs evil. Love conquers hate.
I wish you a week of
reflection and ACTION.
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