Perspectives

It is long past time for me to write something about the events that have greatly affected our nation in the last two weeks. The need for repetition escapes me; many things have already been said and most need not be repeated. But of all the things said, the most necessary is “Lord, have mercy.” Despite the tragedy and loss, terror and pain, despite all our efforts to rebuild and restore, God is the ultimate healer, re-builder, and restorer. Our labors pale in comparison to His.
As much as I try to ignore it, to laugh over it, to change the channel, to escape the gnawing feelings that are steadily arising, I cannot. I face them, slowly, at as tolerable a pace as possible, at a pace that will allow me to arrest the flow of tears. What am I doing in my life right now? Preparing for school in Paris; complaining because many of my peers have already been in class for weeks and I’m bored; but what about Dillard University, Tulane and the others? What about the freshman that excelled through high school despite the odds and gained prized entry into the school of his first choice; the student that finally completed the application process, secured scholarships and moved into her first home away from home? What becomes of their education? They must begin again. Their plans drastically halted; their dreams deferred. We must not forget the young man or woman whose entry into the realm of higher education serves a monument to the family name. They are the first to go to college (Yes, despite years and years of “freedom” there are still families in the United States in which the present generation is the first to break through the ambiguous barriers of socioeconomic status into post-secondary education.) Those students may possibly lose a year of education, which, for some is a momentous setback from which they may or may not recover.
And yet, I’m worried about being adequately sociable at a “Bon Voyage” party; I’m worried about separation anxiety in a temporarily long distance relationship; I’m worried about surviving in Paris miles and miles away from the people I love but at the very least I’ll know, God willing, that they will still be here where I left them.