A Fiery Contemplation

June 2002:  Ash rained down and the horizon was a dusty orange.  As a kid, it was a curious thing to catch charred bits in your hands as one would a snowflake, but it was also terrifying.  It meant the fire was close, that there was the possibility, however remote, that your entire life could go up in flames.  To escape the thick, suffocating haze of the approaching Hayman fire, we voluntarily evacuated.

Perhaps it is because of this elementary school experience, or maybe it is because my native state continues to experience major fires during the summer, some of which strike close to my parents' home, but my heart aches for all those who have been affected by the Fort McMurray fire.  As of Wednesday (May 25th), the fire has consumed over 2,000 square miles in two Canadian provinces and destroyed more than 2,000 structures. Weather conditions there continue to contribute to the spread of the fire and there appears to be no end in sight.  88,000 residents of Fort McMurray and surrounding areas were evacuated.  As far as I know, no one has been allowed to return, although if all goes well, Fort McMurray is scheduled for re-entry in early June.

I don't have TV and I don't frequent news sites.  Most of the major news stories I am aware of I know about because of social media.  With both the Belgium and Paris attacks, information was plastered across Facebook and people changed their profile pics to show solidarity with those communities that were impacted.  Since the Fort McMurray fire made international news, there has been little to no mention of the ongoing situation.  A quick look at what is trending on Facebook reveals that election politics are among the top most popular topics.  The suffering of 88,000 people, some who watched their homes burn, has been largely forgotten.

It's fascinating:  tragic, short-lived events, where some people lost their lives at the hands of a few evil men, are treated as more important than developing natural disasters that impact thousands.  Why does one deserve more attention and recognition than another?

Both types of events, natural disaster and man-instigated violence, are consequences of the fall.  God did not create the world for such devastation.  In Genesis, He calls His creation good, but men rebelled and brought destruction.  Men continue to seek out evil and nature continues to bear fruit of a broke world.  Neither can rebuild what is destroyed.  And yet while we remained broken, victims of ourselves and natural phenomena, Christ came to mend and rebuild, to redeem us from our rebellion. Through His death, we have been given life.

While I mourn with those who have lost loved ones and I weep with those who have no home to return to, I also pray that God may grant them strength to face their earthly sorrows and comfort in the salvation won by Christ and given in Word and Sacrament.

A Thought for the Ending of Another Year

It's been a bit of a rough year.  This time last year, I was applying to grad schools and didn't have a job.  Now, I've just completely my first semester as a grad student at the University of Wyoming and I have a teaching assistantship with quite a nice stipend.  It's been a very long year, but I am in a much better place than I was a year ago.  It is said that in the moment, it is hard to see past what is to what could be, and I have certainly discovered this to be true.

Perhaps I've just been in a pensive mood, but lately I've been thinking about how American culture tends to veer away from negativity.  We talk (and sing) about being happy and maintaining positivity.  Whenever someone is sad or angry or upset, we tell them they can change their attitude, can change the way they feel.  But to someone who is feeling a little low, these words are not a comfort; they sound like a reminder of the failure to be in complete control of oneself.

I certainly am not in complete control of my emotions or feelings.  I struggle sometimes with being a functioning adult (what's a vacuum cleaner?) and a responsible student (but there's a new episode available on Hulu!).  I am not perfect.  I am sometimes down in a the dumps.  I get unjustly angry with those I love.  I am a sinful being who screws up on a regular basis.  Sure, I'm not proud of it, but I don't want to hide it either.

The holidays are a time when I think we are especially prone to put up a facade of perfection and happiness.  But we are not perfect.  We should talk with others about our shortcomings and struggles, and in doing so, we can encourage one another to make it through the tough times.  We may not be able to see it now, but things will not always be this bad.  Life is a series of hills and by supporting our neighbors, together we can make it through the valleys.

A Thought on Community

Since leaving for college, I've learned a lot about what it means to live in community.  Community is not only important in the life of the Church, but also in life together with each other, whether it be with friends, family, or the people we live with.  The people in our communities are the ones who support us when we are struggling and who we can support in return.  It is our communities that make us feel that we are important, valued, and not alone in this world.  Some of my fondest memories are connected to some of the strong communities I've been apart of.

I have been struggling in a lot of ways since moving back home.  One of the things that has made the transition more difficult is that I'm still trying to find a sense of community.  I've grown a lot as an individual since graduating high school, and I no longer fit well into the communities of which I was once a part.  This isn't to say I'm not in a community, it's just taking me a while to settle into a new one.