“How are you doing?” It is a question we ask each other often. And if I had to guess, most of us reply with “I’m doing great!”, “I’m fine” or “I’m good”. Rarely do we allow ourselves to share how we are REALLY feeling.
Today, I am going to tell you how I am REALLY feeling!
The horrific events of last week, combined with the memories of September 11, 2001, have made me sad, concerned and wondering “when does it stop?”. On Wednesday, our nation experienced the 47th school shooting of the year. Twenty-four of these shootings have been on college campuses and 23 on K-12 campuses. Our nation has lost 19 citizens due to these shootings. There have been at least 77 more that were injured. And there are thousands who lived through the incidents and will carry these graphic memories with them the rest of their lives. There are moms and dads who will never again hug their child or have the joy of watching him or her grow up. There are grandparents who are dealing with not only the loss of a grandchild, but the agony of watching their child lose a child. There are aunts and uncles, friends and neighbors who are left with a whole in their heart.
And sadly, there are children all over our great 50 states who are scared and many who are scarred.
On Wednesday we also learned of the murder of Charlie Kirk on the Utah Valley University school campus. I felt as though I was the only person on the face of the earth who had no idea who Charlie Kirk was. I honestly had never heard of him. Yet my heart ached. It ached for so many reasons. I looked at photos of his wife and children. Three individuals who kissed daddy goodbye that morning or the day before having no idea that those kisses would be their last with him. I thought about his parents. I thought about his friends. I thought about the students and all those in attendance who witnessed such a violent and unnecessary killing.
But mostly on Wednesday, September 10, 2025, my heart ached for our country. And it still does.
On September 12th, 2025 I wished so badly for the United States of America from 24 years ago. How wonderful it would be if people turned to prayer rather than hateful political posts. What if people became more important than party affiliation? What if members on both sides of the aisle came together and said “We can do better! We can BE better!”? What if flags lined our streets and love filled our hearts instead of flying half mast?
There is a song by country music artist Thomas Rhett that I have found myself singing a lot the past few days. The song is titled “Be a Light”. My hope is that all of us will strive to be light in a dark world!
In a time full of war, be peace
In a time full of doubt, just believe
Yeah, there ain’t that much difference between you and me
In a time full of war, be peace
In a place that needs change, make a difference
In a time full of noise, just listen
‘Cause life is but a breeze, better live it
In a place that needs a change, make a difference
In a race that you can’t win, slow it down
Yeah, you only get one go around
‘Cause the finish line is six feet in the ground
In a race you can’t win, just slow it down
In a world full of hate, be a light
When you do somebody wrong, make it right
Don’t hide in the dark, you were born to shine
In a world full of hate, be a light
Yeah, it’s hard to live in color, when you just see black and white
In a world full of hate, be a light
