Braided

challah bread

Sitting on my kitchen counter, against my husband's wishes, I sat opening a stack of Christmas cards.  For some reason I am exceptionally tired today and yet I cannot pull myself from the envelope opening extravaganza.  My husband tells me to hurry up and write my blog as I open beautiful card after beautiful card.  Some have familiar faces, some share new faces, and others still are wishful greetings with artwork instead of photographs.

I smile as I open each one and think about how much the kids have grown or the new addition or even the new home.  Relationships are such a huge part of what makes my heart happy.  Knowing people and knowing their stories and having life braid together to make the most beautiful challah bread you've ever seen makes this life that much more amazing.  Today as I scrolled through my Facebook updates and read the stories of sadness and triumph, the mundane and the exhilarating, and the photos of 26 faces I've never met, I found myself filled with deep grief and yet equal parts of joy.  The grief was for the loss and the tragedy.  As a parent I cannot imagine how one moves forward after the loss of their child.  The joy comes from seeing how our entire world has found a reason to come together.  This does not happen only with this sort of tragedy, but with the earthquakes, the war, and the acts of terror.

Unity creates a braid far stronger than each of us standing alone.  Unity brings us support in times of great sorrow and strength in times of weakness.  We recently faced an election that brought a crippling chasm between people and even friends.  We continue to talk about the fiscal cliff and for a few days I was glad to not hear a word about the fiscal cliff, unfortunately it was quieted only by something far worse.  As we send our children to school our hugs are slightly longer and our gaze follows them slightly farther down the path.  In a few months we will return to a quick hug and less supportive draw to our community.  We will re-engage in our own busy lives forgetting the event that took 26 precious lives.  Some of us won't.  Some of us will cry harder when we see Grace's favorite purple sweater or Noah's backpack with his water bottle still filled with the water from that fateful day.

Today I ask you to commit to remember how this tragedy made you feel.  Unite with those around you who need support.  Intertwine your life with others and invest in building people up.  Stop bullying.  Mind your words.  Love your neighbor.  Forgive your brother.  Come together.  Most importantly, turn to God.

3 Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. ² Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. ³ For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. ⁴ When Christ, who is your^[a] life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.

⁵ Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry. ⁶ Because of these, the wrath of God is coming.^[b] 7 You used to walk in these ways, in the life you once lived. ⁸ But now you must also rid yourselves of all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from your lips. ⁹ Do not lie to each other, since you have taken off your old self with its practices ¹⁰ and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator. ¹¹ Here there is no Gentile or Jew,circumcised or uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave or free, but Christ is all, and is in all.

¹² Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. ¹³ Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. ¹⁴ And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.

¹⁵ Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace.And be thankful. ¹⁶ Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts. ¹⁷ And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him. Colossian 3.  biblegateway.com

Let us truly be One Nation, Under God, Indivisible.


I am thankful for the gift of life for one more day. (Day 24).  Goodnight Friends.