Heavy Heart, Weary Mind

I woke this morning with my heart already heavy with the news of more police shootings this week.  And then I turned on the computer and learned of shootings in Dallas.

I wish I had words of wisdom; I don't.  I do take comfort from the fact that these events get coverage and that most people I know are similarly heavy hearted.  I do think that change will come.  Like many people, I wish that change would come faster.  And maybe I'm getting that wish--this piling up of coverage might lead to faster change, but that can be dizzying too.

Some people will posit that our various social media and other technology, like cameras in our ever-present phones, are hastening this change.  That statement seems true to me.  Now it is easy to document daily life, including the horrifying turn of events.

I am also taking comfort from the Facebook posts that many people would decry.  In this time of violence, I take comfort in seeing the children of friends and friends of friends who are participating in summer camp, enjoying summer pleasures, and thriving.  While all is not right with all of the world, we are not in the end times. 

There is still goodness in the world, still a world of goodness to remember on the days when the darkness swells and seems poised to overcome us.

In these days, I remember the words of prophets both ancient and modern, the words that assure us that in the darkest days, the light still burns.  We can dwell in the shadows, in the dark valleys, but we don't have to stay there.  The light beckons, and we can add our own light to it.