Speaking of James' nap, I think we've finally officially made the move to one nap a day. It's been a little hard on him, because he's not always sleeping as long as he needs to, but he's been asleep for almost 12 1/2 hours so far, and I haven't heard him yet. So I'd say he's making up for it at night, wouldn't you? I really dreaded as well as looked forward to moving to one nap. On one hand, there is more freedom to be out and about, and I don't have to worry about trying to put him to sleep at church on Sundays. On the other hand, I only get one break from keeping up with his antics when we're at home all day together. But he's really been quite good and cheerful for the most part.
But back to today's agenda: Shopping. Our elementary students at our church's school are putting together bags of toiletries and such for those hit hardest by the tornado last Wednesday, and one of the teachers thought Ella might want to help. They're going to try to include a few things that will be fun for the children receiving the bags. Ella is excited about shopping for this, as am I. It's nice to have a specific need to meet. There's part one of our shopping expedition. Part two involves purchasing a gift card for a couple in our church whose house was hit by the tornado. Thankfully, their home was not reduced to rubble like so many were, and they were able to salvage a lot, but their lives have still been completely uprooted. Their house itself was not salvageable, and they are moving into an apartment for now. I also have a wedding gift to buy, but I think that may be too much for one trip. If you've ever been shopping with a child under two, you know what I mean. Attempting too many stops always ends up in misery for everyone.
Today marks one week since the tornado swept through our town. It seems like it's been a very long week. I went out on Saturday to take some items to a distribution center, and since I hadn't been out yet I drove to the main intersection where I could catch a glimpse of what had happened and what was happening now.
For those of you who are familiar,
this is looking right across the street from the mall.
It was hard to completely take in what I was seeing, but even more than the destruction, I was impressed by all that had been done to have things moving along again. I really didn't have to wait at red lights any longer than normal (and for those of you who are familiar, you know that's a long time on this strip), and I was surprised to see you could actually drive through here, though of course the entrance to 15th Street, was still barricaded.
Looking at all the destruction, I could only imagine the grief, shock, and loss being experienced by the people who lost homes, businesses, and even friends and family. Those are terrible things to contemplate. But what I didn't take pictures of, were the many, many people who were passing out free water, grilling hamburgers and hot dogs, and offering words of encouragement. I saw electricians from other states and restaurants who set up stands giving away food. Watching all of these people working together for the good of others and our city was such a beautiful thing. It made me think of something I'd read a few weeks earlier:
Don't most, if not all, of the greatest virtues surface in response to evil
and suffering? Think of your favorite books and movies. Take
Braveheart, Saving Private Ryan, Schindler's List, Amistad,
Star Wars, or The Lord of the Rings. The virtues and
camaraderie, the courage and sacrifice central to these stories
simply would not exist without the context of evil and suffering.
Do you agree that some great goods such as courage and sacrifice
and compassion materialize only in the presence of evil and
suffering? If you do, then you recognize that if God allowed less
evil in the world, there would also be less good.
If you could snap your fingers and remove all evil and suffering
that has ever happened, would you? If you did, then Frederick
Douglass, Soujourner Truth, Abraham Lincoln, Harriet Tubman,
Susan B. Anthony, and William Wilberforce would just be names.
Without his deafness, we don't know whether Beethoven would
have written symphonies. Had John Bunyan not been unjustly
imprisoned, he almost certainly would not have written
The Pilgrim's Progress.
- Randy Alcorn, If God is Good: Faith in the Midst of Suffering and Evil
The suffering has been great here, but I saw a lot of good being done on the streets of our city Saturday, and I've heard of much more, and that is an encouraging thing.
