Gratitude Monday: Love over hate

First off let me just say that the notion of twelve people at a Bible study/prayer group being shot up is a desecration of the ideals upon which this nation was founded. I’m not going to go into the motives of the individual responsible; and I’m sure as hell not going to comment upon any remarks made by any politician of any party in the aftermath of last Wednesday’s horror.

Instead, I’m concentrating on the life- and hope-affirming response from the people of Charleston, and around the country.

The alleged murderer of nine of the twelve people who welcomed him into their midst even though he was manifestly a stranger has made statements to the effect that he wanted to spark a race-based civil war. And you’d think that Charleston—the scene of the opening shots of the War Between the States 154 years ago—would have been the ideal location for this.

Instead, the families of the victims have again and again expressed—amidst their sorrow—forgiveness and love.

To tell you the truth, I don’t quite know how they do it, so I stand in utter awe at this.

But beyond the specific, I am kind of amazed and deeply grateful to see that this despicable and monstrous crime has so far failed utterly at driving a wedge between people in this country on racial lines. In Charleston and elsewhere, folks of pretty much all colors have joined together in solidarity and solace.

Thank you, people of Emanuel AME, of Charleston, of the United States. Thank you for responding to hate with love. You are my heroes.