I feel compelled to do so tonight.
In the late afternoon sun, Hubs and I made our way to the 16th Street Baptist Church in Birmingham. All of it happened long before I was born. The horror of it still echo's more than 50 years later.
As I knelt beside the memorial at the back of that church, tears glistening in my eyes, goosebumps on my arms silently praying that those horrors would never happen again, I hadn't seen the news.
The power of that spot is almost electric. You feel it through you very soul.
I was focused on paying my respects to four young girls lives ended far too young, in such a violent selfish manner. I felt drawn there. So much to see in Birmingham, and that was where i felt drawn to. I wanted to see the beautiful art in the park across the street dedicated to those sweet babies, barely older than my oldest Grand Daughter.
In silent awe Hubs and I wandered the almost deserted intersection. A few homeless people walked around asking for change for a meal, citing Bible verses better than any Pastor I have ever heard. A random assortment of young and old reading the memorials, saying prayers, speaking in hushed tones. We read the signs along the path of the march and spoke softly to each other.
It had the same feeling of reverence I always felt every time I went to Dachau. It chills the bones at the same time breaking the heart and filling you with the hope of the Holy Spirit.
After taking a few pictures, Hubs volunteering to take pictures for a family trying to take enough of an assortment so that everyone was in the various shots, we started to leave.
The sun was starting to sink far lower in the sky and the feeling of discomfort that comes from being in strange city that is virtually void of people was starting to grow in me. I work in an urban area, but it's my urban area, I know the dangers and feel comfortable there. I didn't know the dangers of where I had led us.
As we started to leave my eyes were drawn to a beautiful stained glass window. I didn't know why, but I wanted a picture of that window. It's breath taking. I can only imagine the beauty that radiates inside. After snapping that picture we drove down the almost deserted streets, back towards the highway. There was very little movement, almost like a ghost town on a quiet Sunday afternoon.
Hubs asked if I remembered the whole story, as I hadn't been born yet I didn't. So he pulled it up and read it to me. My heart breaking with each world.
The selfishness, the inhumanity. It was obscene in it's very existence. Pure evil for the sake of evil.
I still hadn't heard the news as I posted please let us never be this way again.
A short bit later, sitting around the table with family for the first Sunday dinner we'd shared in far too long, I hear the news.
A church in Texas. Over 20 gone. Ranging in age from 5 - 72.
Yet again someone made a decision based in pure evil.
I am growing very weary. It feels that people of pure evil are trying to cause an even deeper wound, possibly one that we cannot recover from.
I glanced at Twitter, pledges of starting a civil war, Antifa threatening to attack white conservatives, BLM, I think I even saw one with anonymous.
When does love win? When do we learn from the lessons of the past. How much gets erased? "Untaught"? How many times do we allow this to happen?
It isn't dynamite - as was used in the 16th Street murders. It isn't the guns, knives, trucks or any other weapons that are used that are the problem. It is the heart of evil. The soul that has ceased to feel that destroys. Minds that are taught hatred, that they are the only one right. It doesn't matter the skin color, it doesn't matter the religious preference, no great weight needs to fall on education, orientation, location, etc. It's a heart of evil.
I do believe in evil. And I seriously feel it is winning. When people of love come together we will win.
but... right now... as I get ready to lay my head down, I will say another prayer. I will hold on to the faith I feel in my heart, because I know there is good and love in this world.
A song has been running through my head all day. An ear worm of sorts. My cousin posted about a powerful event at her church today. And it's only gotten louder as the day has progress... the only line that doesn't stop is the one that says "I saw God today..." I haven't heard the song its from in a long time, so that isn't how it got there.
But in the silent beauty of pink carnations on a black etched stone... more than 50 years later... I saw God today.
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