The barn where our oldest took her first truly serious
riding lessons sat back a ways off the highway, not a necessarily immaculate
place but highly functional. The indoor
arena was especially appreciated when the cold weather hit – late October,
early November. As winter progressed and
things got seriously cold, even the barn could not completely shield from the
shivers. It would still get
frosty-breath cold inside the large structure.
There was an outdoor arena, too, as I recall. You could hear the traffic from there. Or watch the planes fly over on their way to
or from the major airport just to the north.
I recall nice views of the mountains on the western horizon as you drove
to the place, but I don’t remember being wowed by those same sweeping vistas
once on the property.
Christie was a great instructor, seeming to take a special
interest in our gal. But then, I think
she probably took a special interest in all the kids who demonstrated a genuine
love for horses, learning and having fun along the way.
That barn stands about five miles from the Century 16
Theatre, where the senseless killing and injuring of so many early Friday
morning has changed things forever for so many:
The families and friends of the deceased. The wounded and their loved ones. Those who escaped the theater without a
physical scratch. The surrounding community
members. All of us, in one manner or
another.
When something like this happens, there is so much to say …
and yet there is a struggle for words … and words you dare not utter. When I think of folks – kids most of them,
really – out having a good time or engaging in the everyday rituals of life
just an instant before tragedy strikes, my mind draws up recollections of the
Fort Worth church shooting, the Texas A&M Bonfire tragedy, the Hill Country
church camp flood of so many years ago.
And certainly Columbine. The
swiftness with which so many lives were changed forever in the relatively brief
moments of those incidents is frightening.
And I really don’t even want to think about that. The unimaginable.
All I want to do is pray that God’s comfort and peace
embrace the good folks of Aurora
and the many across the country and around the world who are changed forever by
the events of the past several days. Amen.
