A Thought For London

When I heard the news that London would be hosting the Olympic games in 2012, my first thought was " I hope nothing terrible happens." My fears were confirmed much sooner than I had expected. What I hoped was fleeting pessimism, was apparently a valid concern. And I was not the only one fearing the worse, or at the very least, the very bad. As I listened to reports of the bombs going off in London subways and buses this morning, it took time to register. You know, background noise of something terrible that happened in a far away place that doesn't directly affect me, and so doesn't seem altogether real. Much as I had reacted to the news on September 11th. But as soon as it happened I was immediately saddened. Yes, it is in far away England, and yes, the damage is less than that of 9/11, but I felt for the Londoners thrust suddenly into fear,confusion, and mourning, for the world leaders gathered at the G8 summit as their hearts must of fell as they carry the responsibility of the safety of their individual countries. Mostly saddened that in the dawn of great events, these are the things feared in the back of our minds. More than one caller into the morning radio programs I listen to stated a similar fear preceding the bombings. What comforts me, that despite these fears, the world, not countries, not individuals, the world has actually been strengthened in their resolve that such evil will not control the manner in which we live our lives.

Tony Blair very much impressed me with his wise response to this madness.

"It's important ... that those engaged in terrorism realize that our determination to defend our values and our way of life is greater than their determination to cause death and destruction to innocent people and a desire to impose extremism on the world,"

"Whatever they do, it is our determination that they will never succeed destroying what we hold dear in this country and in other civilizations in the world."

"When they try to intimidate us, we will not be intimidated Â… we will not be changed,"
"When they try to divide our people or weaken our resolve, we will not be divided and our resolve will hold firm. We will show by our spirit and dignity ... our values will long outlast theirs."

Amen Mr. Blair.

The line between pure good and evil is being defined. These are bullies, dangerous ones, but merely bullies. Despite disputes of how things have been handled in Iraq, if we are in the right place, who is supporting it, who isn't, politics in general aside, I am proud of our country and others such as England. For holding our resolve.

Londoners, you are in our prayers.