Grief

[Christine]

An article in one of our newspapers spoke about the experiences of the family of Emilie Parker, 6, who was killed. She and her family are originally from Utah and will be returning here to bury their daughter with family and friends who have blanketed the city with pink ribbons in her memory wrote this:

"Grief, while heartbreaking, can also give rise to powerful acts of compassion. By the time Abraham Lincoln gave his second inaugural address on March 4, 1865, the American Civil War had claimed roughly 750,000 lives, resulting in 37,000 widows and 90,000 orphans.

"Why did God allow such devastation? It was a question Lincoln had pondered. Plus, there were many in Washington who wanted to punish the Confederates for all the carnage. Against that backdrop, Lincoln said:

"With malice toward none; with charity for all; with firmness in the right, as God gives us to see the right, let us strive on to finish the work we are in; to bind up the nation's wounds; to care for him who shall have borne the battle, and for his widow, and his orphan — to do all which may achieve and cherish a just and lasting peace among ourselves, and with all nations."

One month later, Lincoln was assassinated. But those words — "with malice toward none" — live on.

"The following day, after authorities released the names of the victims, Robbie Parker was the first parent to speak to the national media. Without notes or a spokesman, Robbie choked back tears and expressed sympathy for the family of the man who killed 27 people and himself. "I can't imagine how hard this experience must be for you," he said."

While Evil is certainly present in our world, so is Goodness. Which gives me Hope.