The news of yesterday’s Virginia Tech massacre has all of us still reeling. My thoughts have tumbled in all sorts of different directions. One thing which occurred to most of the Bergs almost right away is that dear family friends of ours live in Blacksburg- the Tlou’s. Josiah and Leetha were dear friends of my parents when we lived in Decorah- so much so that they are the godparents of my youngest brother, Nathan. Kinder, more beautiful people have never walked this earth- and the thought of this ugly outbreak of violence happening where Josiah and Leetha live (and where gentle Josiah used to teach) is beyond bewildering.
And as I thought of my family’s friendship with the Tlou’s (their four children correspond exactly in age with the four Berg kids) it got me thinking to the gentlest of our family members- Aidan and Anna and Kaj and Henry- Lorelai, too – and of the not-so-gentle world in which they live. O that they could be shielded from the worst that this world can give.
And yet- this morning, I got a phone call from a listener who had some things to say about my morning show interview. It was with the editor of a fascinating book called “Maybe Baby,” a collection of 28 essays on the topic of having or not having children and how various people wrestle with that choice. This guy had found the conversation most thought provoking as someone who decided many years ago that he was not going to have any children because he was not about to bring a child into such a wicked, broken world. I know where such thinking comes from – and in a week like this one, it would seem to make even more sense than usual – and yet, I think it’s simplistic to say that this world is so much more terrible, so much more dangerous than the world was in the past. One hundred and fifty years ago, to give birth in the northern plains was in many respects a far more difficult, risky business. Life was fraught with danger upon danger and many young lives were claimed in tragic ways. Two hundred and fifty years ago, it was probably even more the case. Life has always been fragile- the worst of the world has always been terrible.
What has not changed is our need for each other – our need for the sweetest gifts that God has given us. . . kindness, gentleness, forgiveness, companionship. . . to know that we do not face the darkness alone.
Pictured above: my niece Aidan