Preparations for this morning's church service were completed about two hours ago. It has been a very restless night for my spirit, and I'm not sure why. As I sit here listening to the radio I hear the messages of remembrances of all whose lives were touched by an incident that occurred in our nation's history. Forever life as we knew it changed. Looking back I see other incidents that have impacted me this way. The death of President Kennedy, the tumultuous end of the Vietnam War, The impact Desert Storm had on those of us serving congregations out here on the prairie, events that are in a heartbeat both inescapable, and past, over, done. My mind tells me we move on, but I know that we don't! As a nation we have a collective memory that stretches back to the days before there were states, before there were European settlers, colonists, and those who sought only gold. Now, four years after the most recent life changing event that is marked on our yearly calendar, we look back on how things were before. I suppose the connectedness that we feel with the past is a good thing. Personally, I think of it in the same manner I examine photos in the lens as they are taken, and on the 'puter after they're downloaded, and on the prints when received. Some pics are looked at over and over again, first close up and then zooming out to gain perspective. Most days we are zoomed way out on the events and lives that changed four years ago, but today we are zoomed in tight. We will look at moments that changed everyone forever, even while we are in the midst of another catastrophic event in our nation's history. Her name is Katrina, and there will come a day when we will zoom far back from the scenes that erupt in our minds. We will draw close only on rare occasions. This will have the distinct advantage of insulating us from our emotions! It will depend, of course, on how great the effect of the event had on us, personally. I look forward to both times, the close up, and the zoom out. They both have their place in our photo albums, and in our hearts. Tonight I will sleep well. Today I'll zoom in on the events along with others who experienced them in a multitude of ways. Rear Admiral, Grace Hopper, puts it like this, "Life was simple before World War II. After that we had systems." In Christ's Love, Preacher.
Sunday, September 11, 2005
Four Years After
Preparations for this morning's church service were completed about two hours ago. It has been a very restless night for my spirit, and I'm not sure why. As I sit here listening to the radio I hear the messages of remembrances of all whose lives were touched by an incident that occurred in our nation's history. Forever life as we knew it changed. Looking back I see other incidents that have impacted me this way. The death of President Kennedy, the tumultuous end of the Vietnam War, The impact Desert Storm had on those of us serving congregations out here on the prairie, events that are in a heartbeat both inescapable, and past, over, done. My mind tells me we move on, but I know that we don't! As a nation we have a collective memory that stretches back to the days before there were states, before there were European settlers, colonists, and those who sought only gold. Now, four years after the most recent life changing event that is marked on our yearly calendar, we look back on how things were before. I suppose the connectedness that we feel with the past is a good thing. Personally, I think of it in the same manner I examine photos in the lens as they are taken, and on the 'puter after they're downloaded, and on the prints when received. Some pics are looked at over and over again, first close up and then zooming out to gain perspective. Most days we are zoomed way out on the events and lives that changed four years ago, but today we are zoomed in tight. We will look at moments that changed everyone forever, even while we are in the midst of another catastrophic event in our nation's history. Her name is Katrina, and there will come a day when we will zoom far back from the scenes that erupt in our minds. We will draw close only on rare occasions. This will have the distinct advantage of insulating us from our emotions! It will depend, of course, on how great the effect of the event had on us, personally. I look forward to both times, the close up, and the zoom out. They both have their place in our photo albums, and in our hearts. Tonight I will sleep well. Today I'll zoom in on the events along with others who experienced them in a multitude of ways. Rear Admiral, Grace Hopper, puts it like this, "Life was simple before World War II. After that we had systems." In Christ's Love, Preacher.
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