Choosing to Shine

I was going to post about my fantastic weekend but in light of the news on Osama bin Laden, I feel compelled to shift gears a bit. We’ll get back to our regularly scheduled programming tomorrow.

I’ve often been told that I live in a bubble, naïve and innocent and somewhat oblivious to how the world actually works. Today has been a prime example of that. I see news coverage of people partying, rioting almost, in zealous celebrations of the death of Osama bin Laden. Am I the only one who doesn’t know what to make of this news, or how to feel about it exactly?

I won’t lie to you, I was happy to hear that the world’s leading terror mastermind is no longer a threat to our freedoms and liberties but to celebrate a death, any death, in the streets around the world just makes me profoundly sad. I was comforted to hear someone say, “We’re not celebrating the death of a person, per say, we’re celebrating the hope of a kinder world.” That makes sense to me. Kinder world, I’m all for that.

The news is now reporting that there may be retaliations and repercussions for the US military actions. I’m not surprised to hear that; I’ve always been told that when one terrorist influence is abolished, there are ten more, or 100 more, ready to step in to replace it. That, in a nutshell, scares me; evil thinkers are the most creative people on the planet and the good people who aren’t wired to think in terms of evil have a hard time figuring out how to insulate or protect themselves from it. I, for one, enjoy living in the bubble where I believe people are inherently nice and good.

Instead of celebrating the death of Osama bin Laden, I’m choosing today to remember those lost on 9-11. Instead of being scared that evil will sneak back into our lives, I’m choosing today to admire the family members who bravely picked up the pieces and moved forward. Instead of worrying about our national security, I’m choosing to be grateful that there are first responders who are always willing to run in when everyone else is running out. Instead of wondering about the future of our freedoms, I’m choosing today to honor our military service personnel who stand on the thin line between good and evil, fighting abroad for people at home, sacrificing their comforts so that I don’t have to. I’m choosing to see all the good that remains in the world rather than to give one more moment of thought to the evil.

I hope today that you’ll remember the good that lights up your world. I hope that you’ll hug someone who has held a candle of hope in your personal life. I hope you’ll thank a soldier who has aimed a flashlight of freedom in the dark corners of the world where evil lurks. I hope that as much as you acknowledge the light carried by others, that you will also serve as a tiny twinkling light for someone else. I hope you’ll do something today to brighten the corner where you live and to make your tiny piece of the world a kinder place. I hope you'll make today something special, something positive, something memorable... Something More.