ONLY WORDS

I’m thinking of the lyrics from the Gibb Brothers’ Bee Gees hit, “It’s only words and words are all I have…” Often in this life, words – our human way of communication – fall very short.

The horrendous national tragedy in New York City and Washington D.C. has become just such a time; words cannot express all that we are feeling – shock, disbelief, uncertainty, grief – so consumed we are with mixtures of emotions that struck us each in different ways as the “safe world” around us was torn.

We grasp tightly to the statement that these acts of terror were not acts of God. We are told that we must go on doing what we have before and, also, to do what we can to help. How can that fateful day have changed the world so drastically that although daily life for some of us seems the same, we know it can never be?

New York columnist Pete Hamill found apt words when he said, “A crucial factor in the aftermath of our tragedy is how we handle our fear.”

We must find strength in what we believe in – our God, our Country, our leaders, our loved ones. Although life is not meant to stay the same, the following lines might help us appreciate the value of permanence:

Consumer’s Prayer

by Joyce M. Shutt

Throwaway bottles,      Plastic dishes,

Throwaway cans,      Plastic laces,

Throwaway friendships,      Plastic flowers,

Throwaway fans.      Plastic faces

Disposable diapers,       Lord of the living,

Disposable plates,       Transcending our lives,

Disposable people,      Infuse us with meaning

Disposable wastes.      Recycle our lives.

Instand puddings,

Instant rice,

Instant intimacy,

Instant ice.

May we choose our priorities thoughtfully. May we carefully act on what is truly important. May we stand strong together.