Who Sees the Common Thread?

I could see a tear form in her eyes as my mother sat in a restaurant with me yesterday. There on the overhead screen was the funeral coverage of this week’s youngest shooting victim. It had been a stressful morning for both us and yet here we sat; both tearing up.

“Mom, do not cry or I will too,” I told her. She, with her motherly heart, was imagining what it would feel like to bury a child. I, with my compassionate heart, was imaging what it would feel like to have been the one to have taken that child to such an event. We both had reason for tears.

We sat there for a moment trying to catch our ability to speak when the image of the 9/11 flag appeared on the screen; a truly moving sight that held our tongues in check. It seemed as if we were the only patrons in the restaurant who realized the gravity of what was on that screen.

After a moment I found my voice. “I cannot image living with the fact I took that child there.” To which my mother asked, “How do you get over that?” “You don’t mom. It is something you always carry.” Again, we sat in silence watching the proceedings.

At home, later that evening going over my stressful day, this conversation came back to me. Another tear formed for this shared moment of compassion between a mother and a daughter.

It occurred to me that as different in many ways as my mother and I are, we found a common thread in a tragedy. The same emotion stirred in us yet from different sides of the story. I asked myself, “Why can we all not be like that?”

Why not can we find that common thread of emotion? That tinge of emotion which stirs us to tears on any given matter. Does humanity wear such blinders that walking in another's shoes is out of the question? Has our hearts grown so small that a simple tear does not stand a chance?

We will never understand madmen, nor do I feel we should try. The simple fact is evil is among us. Knowing it is there is half the battle and seeking out the good will only diminish it.

It is the selfless acts, the outpouring of compassion, and the ability to see beyond the differences that matter. But above all, it is the ability to grasp the hand of your enemy and say, “We have a common thread and united we will defeat evil.”



On another note; as I mentioned I had very stressful day yesterday. For reasons right now I will keep to myself, I will not be passing on the awards today as I had intended. I will be making the rounds and am truly sorry I did not visit everyone yesterday.

To all my blogging friends around the world: I know many of you are experiencing your own tragedies, please know I am here seeking the good, feeling the compassion and not even caring about our differences. I know we have a common thread and I’m hanging on to it with all my might.

Peace…. 

Technorati Tags: Common Thread,Tuscon Shooting,Emotions,Family,Trying To Get Over The Rainbow