What2Say2Day? This will most likely be my last post until after Easter so please bear with me as I venture off the normal Lenten thoughts. I want to share with you a story that shows what Lent means to me.
Last week there was a tragic accident on the west side of our island. A man was driving home after celebrating his daughter's birthday and lost control of his car, running into a family who was sitting at a bus stop on the other side of the highway. A mother and three of her daughters were sitting at the bus stop, waiting for the father and son to set up a tent for them to sleep in for the night; they were homeless.
The father could not do a thing except watch as the car plowed through the bus stop, critically injuring two of his daughters and his wife and killing his youngest daughter. The car that slammed into the family drove away, leaving them devastated and alone. But not for long. People came out of their homes, the police and ambulances were called. The family was on their way to getting the medical attention they needed.
The man who was driving the car was caught about a block away, parked at a convenience store. He was drunk. To make it worse for him he was also recently released from prison for a misdemeanor. Needless to say his life, as well as that of the father and his family, had changed in a way that will never, never, put them on the same path they had been traveling.
Place yourself in any of their shoes. Families destroyed, friends confused, community members shocked, the media non-stop in their public-showing of the events as the story continues to unfold. Two men, beaten beyond recognition. Two lives no longer livable as they had known it. Two souls carrying a cross so heavy the road before them is unbearable.
And yet, even though we can't see it yet, two lives filled with hope. Just yesterday the family of the man who was driving the car opened a fund to raise monies to help the family that was hit. When asked why they were doing this the only answer they could find was, "Because now we are forever connected because of what happened. Their family is our family."
In the season of Lent we recognize despair, pain, and suffering. Lent is also the journey which leads us to Easter. Easter is where we find hope.
Join in whatever Holy Week activities you can, remembering the final moments of the life of our Christ. Then on Easter Morning celebrate in a new life, risen for all humanity to come together as one people living in a love shared through God.
God's family is our family.
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