The most poignant thing I read in the aftermath of Friday morning’s massacre at a Colorado movie theater was the story of one of its victims, Jessica Ghawi (née Redfield), a sports journalist. Just a month earlier, Jessica narrowly escaped another gunman, who opened fire in a Toronto shopping mall foodcourt minutes after she left the scene. She blogged about that experience. She wrote:
I was shown how fragile life was on Saturday. I saw the terror on bystanders’ faces. I saw the victims of a senseless crime. I saw lives change. I was reminded that we don’t know when or where our time on Earth will end. When or where we will breathe our last breath. For one man, it was in the middle of a busy food court on a Saturday evening.
I say all the time that every moment we have to live our life is a blessing. So often I have found myself taking it for granted. Every hug from a family member. Every laugh we share with friends. Even the times of solitude are all blessings. Every second of every day is a gift. After Saturday evening, I know I truly understand how blessed I am for each second I am given.
If there are more fitting words for us in the aftermath of yesterday’s shooting, I can’t think of them: Life is fragile. We don’t know when or where our time on earth will end. When or where we will breathe our last breath. Every day is a gift. Every second of life is a blessing.
God, I am so sorry, Jessica. May you rest safely in God’s loving care.