bittersweet

Tomorrow Mike, Ryan, Jackie, Mom, and me are 'running' a 5K. I cannot wait. It is going to just be a hoot. 3 miles is a long way for a five-year old who gets tired of walking in the grocery store. Originally it was just going to be Jackie, Mike, and me. But then, Ryan saw our cool race t-shirts and wanted one too, so he decided to join in and then, well, Grammy didn't want to just sit on the sidelines, so here we all go.

I start school next week. This will be my 19th year of school if you start at Kindergarten and count through grad school. That is a lot of school, a lot of preparation. I have been preparing myself with knowledge and skills that will hopefully help me navigate successfully through my life. And while I have already had countless, wonderful experiences, I am on the cusp of becoming an independent adult with a real job and my own path that is no longer linked to anyone financially.
I think that's what was so horrifying about the Virginia Tech massacre to me. Not just that priceless lives were destroyed in a matter of moments, but that the majority of the victims were on the cusp of adulthood. They had spent years preparing for life and then they didn't get to carry out those lessons and advance from hopes into reality.
And as I read the news, I am astonished at how passing the events seem to me. How real, yet distant. Like the tsunami. Do you remember it? My mind couldn't even fathom such an event and it was simply news to me. Yet, lives are still disrupted from that event that took place a while ago. And the massacre that I mentioned. I think of the event every now and then, but not too often. Yet, there are families whose lives will never, could never be the same. Holidays are different, traditions are lacking, hope is a phantom. However, I suppose we couldn't get through life if we all felt each other's pain the same way. There is too much horror in the world, too many tragedies. So, we deal with our own suffering and that of those closest to us and keep moving. And as wonderful as this world can be at times, there are other moments when I just whisper, 'Amen, come Lord Jesus.' Surely the world cannot go on this way much longer.