Life can change in an instant. Our minds know that. Our hearts, however, want to believe that all is right with our world. That bad things happen to other people, in other families, in other towns. That diseases either don't happen or are always cured. That traffic accidents are minor and life goes on after a minor headache or two.
Then a neighbor swerves frantically into the driveway with news. A gunman is heading down the highway, shooting everyone. Surely, not. This is rural Alabama where folks shoot deer not people. Law enforcement vehicles speed down the road with lights flashing. First one and then another. Sirens echo in the distance. An ambulance follows a different path, yet just as fast with its lights flashing and sirens sounding. It is not a dream. It isn't happening in a big city. It's real and it's right here.
Early reports vary, depending on your preferred news outlet. Nine people are believed dead. Two are children. We don't know how many are hurt. We don't know why. The gunman is dead. Will we ever know? Will we ever understand?
We applaud the efforts of those who responded from neighboring counties and states. We ache for those whose lives have been shattered. For those traumatized by the "bodies everywhere" scenario described in television news reports.
It is another reminder that the only part of life that is certain is its uncertainty. Life can change in an instant. Our hearts ache for the families and friends, for the victims and the first responders. We pray for God's comfort to surround them as the aftermath of this senseless act settles its weight on their hearts.
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