In this excerpt Christine Valters offers us a way to experience hope in the midst of so much grief.....
"In the wake of so much grief over the unimaginable violence at Sandy
Hook elementary school last week, I invite you to let sorrow have its
place in you. I have no easy answers, and people who claim God's will
somehow at work in the violence itself are offering trite answers to a
mystery that is greater than our understanding. Our response must be to
stand witness to the terrible things done, to grieve and know the
fullness of our own humanity, and to cherish those we love dearly and
hold them close. We are reminded again and again that life is a
fleeting gift. Sometimes it slips away in illness and sometimes stolen
brutally. There are no words of solace. We must simply be with the
great sadness of loss and know that these wounds and places of being
broken open are where the grace enters. We must commit again to make
this one life matter.
One simple act you can do in response to this heartbreaking thievery of
human life is to let yourself feel the deep grief of it. Notice when
you want to push it away, or numb yourself, or find a distraction. This
capacity to sit with the pain and let it work its way through you is
the first and fundamental response. The second response is an embrace of
love as the deepest and truest thing, what makes life bearable under
the most grievous of circumstances. Hold someone you love close, make
amends with a loved one with whom you had a falling out. Extend
yourself in this circle of love. These things matter deeply. Then
comes the hard work of conversation and change of policy and ways to
protect lives more vigorously. But this work must emerge
from a place that has allowed the river of grief to flow through and the
deep well of love to nourish and sustain. We must remember the extravagant source of life as we consider the reality of death."
......from Christine's Abbey of the Arts website
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