Community

It’s been difficult to process what happened at Aurora’s Century 16, this past Friday. This one hit home – Aurora is where I live. It is my place of sanctuary. It’s where I feel safe when the world gets too topsy-turvy. It’s where I retreated after the Columbine murders and again after the 9-11 terror attacks. With a military base practically in my backyard, I have felt out of harm’s way. However, since the events of early Friday morning, I have been unsettled. I can only presume it’s because this massacre was in my backyard. 

I’m in this area at least once a week – my kids grew up with Century 16, seeing a number of movies on its premises.  I have family who work in the area, and I regularly shop in the affected neighborhood. We knew people who were directly affected by the shooting – both injured and deceased. 

Stunned silence.  Sharp intake of breath.  12 innocent lives intersecting at a crossroads with an unsettled individual acting out his own role playing game. When death is expected, it gives you time to prepare. When life is snatched away so cruelly, it’s like pouring acid on an open wound – it’s extremely painful and vicious!

Everyone deals with death and loss in their own way and it is not for me or anyone else to sit in judgment. There is no one size fits all in a circumstance like this.  My prayers go out to all the affected families, as do prayers and well wishes from around the globe. It may seem a small thing, but when we connect as a linked chain back to infinite consciousness, it is an opportunity to do something greater than ourselves. When we join forces, we can energetically ease and lessen the sorrow-filled hearts of the injured and those who have lost loved ones in this thoughtless carnage.

Words are hollow and cannot change or undo what happened, but through our actions in the midst of this extended grieving process, we can and will chart our future course. When the news cycle changes and the cameras and anchor teams fade from view, the people of my adopted hometown will still be here. We will not be okay for quite some time. We will; however, persevere, though nothing will ever be the same.

If you have the ability to do so, please consider visiting to GivingFirst.org and making a donation to help support the victims and families. If you can do nothing else, please take few minutes out of your busy schedule and offer a prayer of healing for the families and the greater Aurora, Colorado, community.

Namaste