Tornado Weekend!

This was definitely not the weekend to be in certain areas of Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, or Arkansas.  Twisters were dancing about the landscape in every direction.

Two areas hardest hit were Woodward, Oklahoma and Wichita, Kansas.

I was saddened to hear that five (5) Oklahomans lost their lives in Woodward; three of them children.  Thankfully, no lives were lost in Wichita and/or that the death toll was any higher.

The twisters themselves are a beautiful force of nature to behold.  It's the damage, death. and destruction they leave in their wake that makes them feared and respected and spring just a little less welcome.  Just a little.

Bless the Beasts and the Children

I remember the first time I heard the song, "Bless the Beats and the Children," sung by the Carpenters (http://youtu.be/AhR36gV6vW4) 

The song is based on the 1971 film adaptation of the same name featuring "Lost In Space" actor Bill Mumy.  The film is about a group of social misfits who band together and run away from summer camp.  Along the way they take up a crusade to save a group of penned in buffaloes from a rifle club's slaughter for fun, (source: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0068286/)

The reason I mention this film is because of the emotions both the song and film stirred up within me as I viewed and listened to both.  

I remember hearing the golden voice of Karen Carpenter sing that song and immediately my thoughts were of all the children throughout the world who suffer physically and mentally, sometimes violently at the hands of adults.

The thought that would always cross my mind was this, "If an adult can hurt an innocent child and still sleep soundly at night, how much more would that same man do in a position of power?"

I had not given this song much thought since using it at my "Heroes and the Boogie Man" workshop this past weekend.

I was researching the Internet for a graduate study class when I came across images of children who had been murdered by radical members of Islam.

One image in particular that caught my attention was of two children -- a brother and sister, Assyrian Christians, who were very young.  The boy probably was not much older than 6 years old; his sister not much further ahead of him.  What was sad about this photo was the connection it made with my own children.

I kept thinking to myself as I held back my tears, "How can anyone be so ugly within themselves that they would slaughter an innocent child this way?"

The boy was left atop a coffee table.  His body appeared to have little trauma to it, although clearly was not the case for his sister.

She was left on the floor and appeared to have more trauma afflicted upon her.  It was obvious to me that this little girl was not only murdered with a violence I hope to never understand, her body was also disrespected even in death.

What is even worse is that this sort of atrocity against children has been committed over the ages since time began.  Even the United States is not exempt.  Thousands of babies are killed each year just through abortions alone.  Are we any less guilty than the people who killed those two children?

I do not know what happened to the bodies of the two children who were found murdered.  I hope they were given a proper burial and that their families have found peace.

How many more stories are we going to read about in the news, not just of children being murdered because of radical religious beliefs (from all sides), but about those children in other parts of the world whom are kidnapped and sold into slavery; those children who are physically and mentally abused; those children who go to bed hungry at night because dad is drinking away their food money or mom is spending it at the casino's?

Who is going to stand up and speak out for and protect our children?

All I can do at this moment is pray and hope that God will listen.

I hope you will pray for the children as well.