Oct 9, 2006

Amish Shooting

As word of the Amish shootings resonated in shock waves through the US, I myself was brought to tears.

The killing of children is never something the world can understand, but for those of us who grew up in an Amish environment, the shock and heartbreak are immeasurable. What would make a person do such a thing? Television crews, journalists, sociologists, friends and family will speculate and study this one incident for years, but I am sure the true answer went to the grave with the tortored soul who committed the crime.

As many others, I can only imagine the depth of despair for these families. Not only have they lost children, but the one thing they prize above everything else, with the exception of their rock-solid faith is peace. Their peace and peace of mind has forever been shattered in this small town.

Although there is no fear in death for the Amish, they've never had to greet such open violence - and on such a grand scale! I have heard through some media outlets that the painful memories in the school run so deep that the school may be razed and then rebuilt for the community on another location, no doubt by the hands of some of the mourning families.

The girls, garbed in white, visited by congregation members and family and friends, were laid to rest last week in a procession of black buggies. The gunman was laid to rest as well.

What is remarkable about the shooting and the burials is what didn't happen. There were no angry words uttered on t.v. cameras. One morning a victim's grandfather was walking down the rural road in front of the school before sun-rise. He couldn't sleep and walked in the silence, surrounded by the soothing sounds of a country morning, looking for answers. None came. A reporter approached, intruded upon his silent meditation really, and asked about hatred for the gunman and his family.

The response was notable in this day in age of lawyers and anger. He hoped the gunman's family stayed in the area for the support they would receive by the Amish community. Before too many days lapsed, prior to the funerals, Amish elders visited the family to offer their condolences and extend their forgivness.

In their wisdom, the Amish know that in additon to the Amish families shattered by this situation, there is another family of Engishers who are suffering too, bearing the burden of what their father, husband, brother, son and friend have done. The Amish will do their best to help heal that hurt so it doesn't perpetuate itself into generations to come.

Amish neighbors attended the funeral of the gunman, prayed and probably cried with the family for their common losses. This is a strange way for friendships to be formed, but I am sure in extending their hands in love, witnessing by the forgiveness modeled for them by Christ, this is surely what has been done.

One prayer for each of tus on this beautiful morning: That we forget the sensationalism of the shootings and concentrate on the larger message - the knowledge that each one of us holds the key to peace within us - and it is forgiveness.