As the nation celebrates
Thanksgiving and the world turns its attention to Christmas, the families in
Newtown Connecticut are struggling with the first anniversary of a horrible
event. On December 14, 2012, a sunny, Friday morning, a mentally ill young man
blasted through the security doors and shot and killed 20 children and 6
adults. The joys of the holiday are
significantly dimmed, if not absent for many. And how could it be otherwise?
Prayers for and from the
families impacted by this terrible tragedy have been many. As they come to me,
filled with anguish, I offer this to you.
Those who lost their
lives felt no pain. They were not afraid. How is that possible, you ask? I brought
their souls home to me before the shooting began.
Think of your home. It’s
a structure. It shelters and protects you. You decorate it with things you like
and the attic becomes filled with memories. But your home is not who you are. You
are separate from that structure. The
body you live in while on this journey, houses your soul. You decorate with clothing
you like and you store your memories in your attic. Your soul is the essence of
who you are. It’s what makes you different from everyone else but it is separate
from your body.
If, while you’re in your
home, your house is suddenly damaged in some way, you are likely to be hurt and
afraid. If, while you are away, a window is broken, you don’t experience either
pain or fear. Inconvenienced or annoyed, perhaps. Sorrow if something of value
is also broken, but your body doesn’t suffer.
So it is with your soul.
If your soul is in your body at the time your body is injured, you feel the
fear and distress. A fall, a broken bone, an illness…you’ve all experienced
such things. However, if your soul is not in your body at the time of the
event, it is like that window being broken in a house while you’re away. You understand
what happened and you feel the sadness and sorrow that such an event brings but
you do not feel discomfort and you’re not afraid. I brought the souls of each
of those lost to me prior to the shooting. They know what happened but they
felt neither terror nor agony.
Please know their souls
are here, with me. They are healthy and happy. They do not miss you the same
way you miss them because they are with you always. When you feel a sudden
memory overtake you, they are with you. When you hear their voice in your mind,
they are with you. When you know with absolute certainty that if you turned
quickly enough, you’ll see them standing behind you, they are with you.
And when you feel
absolutely empty, I am with you. When you feel alone and abandoned, I am with
you. I am always with you.
Thanksgiving and
Christmas will not be the joyous holidays they used to be for the families in
Newtown. It will never be the same as it was before the shooting. It will turn,
eventually, from a marker of a terrible reminder. It is a long journey that has
smooth roads and rough patches. Know that whatever road you’re traveling, I am
with you. You are never alone.
Love,
God
God
