When Tragedy Strikes

No popularity exists when tragedy strikes. All that's left are human hearts and love and ache. We all love each other, deep down, and when we see another soul in pain we can't help but hurt too.
-Maya Van Weegan (Popular: Modern Wisdom for a Modern Greek: https://www.goodreads.com/quotes/tag/tragedy?page=3)

There has been a terrible tragedy in this small community last evening. 

The narrative of the story goes like this: four teens were killed in a motor vehicle accident.  The details are not important though that is automatically what people go searching for and then cling to in these situations as if  snippets of specific information will alleviate the great heaviness that has fallen over everyone who has heard the news, whether they knew the families of these individuals or not.  Truth is words, details, concepts do nothing to alleviate pain.

There has been sudden, unexpected and what would be deemed as 'inappropriate',  death, loss and grief x 4.  That is the information that is important.  It is tragic.  It is heavy like a great emotional weight that smothers and suffocates.  People (and not just the family and friends but all people in the community) are forced to face pain in its ultimate form smack dab on. It is too close to home to escape or ignore. We suddenly cannot close our eyes to the reality that Life, as we know it in these human forms, is fragile and unpredictable. That may shake us to the very core. It is also a truth, however, that could save us.

In the acceptance of  this grief,  this confusion and  this suffering we now have the potential to reach beyond our little 'me-ness' to others. We can wake up to the reality we have tried so hard to distract from and numb from; suffering exists. We can offer our compassion to those who need it most as well to the entire community that is suddenly off balance. We can put away our differences to empathize and support. We can remember how much we do love each other.

We can also, because of our pain, reach beyond the clouds of confusion to faith and to a truth that is not dependent on the fragility of human forms or the unpredictability of life circumstance.  Maybe, just maybe, we can find some peace and strength in that. 

That is what I pray for, for the parents, families and friends of these individuals who have gone on so suddenly and unexpectedly. I do not pray that they not feel pain...I know they will but  I do pray that throughout it all ...a stream of light more powerful than grief and confusion shines through and that it offers at least  an inkling of comfort here and there. I also pray that someday...they, and all of us, will be  able to follow that light to the healing that is waiting for all of mankind.

Peace to all on this Easter Sunday.