A Contemplative Life

We are all part of this tapestry called life. Two more people have been murdered by ICE.  Lorenzo Salgado Araujo in Texas. Joan Sebastian Guerrero in Maine. Neither was the actual suspect ICE was seeking. Both were shot dead, Mr. Guerrero suffering multiple bullet wounds, his young daughter with him in the vehicle. None of the ICE agents were wearing body cameras, as allegedly they weren't issued the equipment. In both cases, ICE agents claim they and the public were in physical danger. My prayers go out to all those who love and are grieving the loss of these men. And I pray that those who killed them will one day acknowledge the wrongs of their actions, and seek forgiveness for such callous and cold-blooded acts. And that each of us will step up in our own neighborhoods, towns, and cities to better care for and love our neighbor, no matter the personal cost.    

 Contemplating what drives someone to kill another person because of racial/ethnic/sexuality-gender hatred, and what if instead of hating the murderer,  we loved them? It's probably not what they want. They might prefer to be feared. Or loathed. They might act in heinous manners to further their malicious agenda, hoping their devious actions will continue to stir chaos, which could encourage additional misdeeds. I'm stitching hearts into little sections of quilt sandwiches, pondering the murder of Lorenzo Salgado Araujo in Houston, Texas earlier this week. Slowly affixing this quilt into one coherent cozy, kind of the opposite of what the person who shot Lorenzo Salgado Araujo in the chest did. And yet, I'm trying to not project anger on that ICE agent. I'm trying to extend grace while attempting to understand why ending a person's life seemed to matter more than allowing them to live. You might say, "Well you didn't know Lorenzo Salgado Araujo, so it's...