After yesterday’s post, I was drawn to think about questions of rationale about the killing of children. With two 4-year olds dead in the past few weeks, and both within a few miles of where I live and work, my head was spinning with the injustice of life.
Then, in this morning’s obituaries, I saw Bear’s picture. Another 4-year old. But unlike Janie and Ella, Bear had moved from this temporal life to an eternal one from an apparently non-violent cause. The story detailing his short, but busy, life was remarkable. His family noticeably thanked people who had been part of his life — particularly the speech therapists who had helped him communicate with this world.
I think that’s the tragedy of the loss of life at a young age. These small packages of God-given promise have much to tell us. Janie and Ella didn’t have time to say much. Bear didn’t either. But all three have spoken volumes through the loss that their families and friends feel.
Senseless. That’s a word we use to describe these unfathomable events. We used the word in context of “it makes no sense.” Yet, it is often the “senseless” that awakens our senses to what is around us.
Were the deaths of three 4-year olds in West Texas senseless? Only if the rest of us fail to allow their loss to touch us.