In California, we lived with the threat of earthquakes. They're part of life, part of nature. The threat could be explained by fault lines and the Ring of Fire. They can't be successfully predicted, at least not yet, but they make geologic sense.
Here in the Washington DC / Northern VA metro area, we've lived with another kind of violence. A short list:
9-ll -- I saw the smoke from the Pentagon. That Sunday, the church bulletin held a mix of prayers and praise. "Please pray that my husband will be found. He was in the Pentagon." Right next to it, I read, "We're thanking God our mother is safe."
Anthrax -- I was working for a doctor at the time. We saw patients on Cipro for exposure to the white-powder poison. They were nice people. Average people.
DC Sniper -- The scariest because it was so personal. I've shopped at the Home Depot where the woman was shot. That night, my husband and son were both caught in the traffic jam caused by the hunt for the snipers. They got home before the news hit the television. A few months later, without realizing it I bought gas at the station on I-95 where a man was shot.
And now Virginia Tech . . . Geographically, it's about 225 miles away. Psychologically, it's in my backyard. It's in
everyone's backyard. My heart is breaking for the families and friends of the victims. This is a scary moment. It's humbling, too. No one knows what's around the next corner. Which is all the more reason to seize the day, cherish our kids and speak the truth in love.
