Horror & Heroes

Two of these brothers were at the finish line of the Boston Marathon when the bomb went off. They had come to cheer on their friend a firefighter. They were with the firefighters family. When the bomb went off the brothers shielded the firefighter's mother, daughter and aunt and took the brunt of the explosion. Each of them lost their right leg.

I know this is a terrible thing but, as my children know, I've always believed that heroes are made or at least uncovered in times such as these.

Many have quoted Mr. Rogers, "When I was a boy and I would see scary things on the news, my mom would say to me 'Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping." I love this quote. Others were quoted with similar thoughts. One said there will always be more good people than bad. I agree.

We can focus on all that is bad in the world or we can focus on how many people will sacrifice themselves to help each other in times of need in acts big and small. I believe in the goodness of people.

My God and Savior

For years I bought into the belief that I should be ashamed of my failures, mistakes and sins. I believed that some things I had done had ruined me forever, that there was no hope, that I was bad and worthless.

My mother told me the story of the goldfish she had when she was first married. She said she watched as one grew bigger and bigger while the other stayed small. One day she stayed to watch while the fish ate. She noticed the big one chasing the small one away from the food. Ah ha! That was what was happening.

The next day she stood perched over the bowl as she sprinkled in the fish food. When she saw the big fish chase away the small fish she tapped him on the head with a teaspoon. I don't know exactly what happened after that but I don't think it was a good outcome for the fish.

Many of us have been taught to believe that God is like my mom up there with a spoon just waiting for us to make a mistake so he can hit us on the head. It's not true.

Instead God is like a parent watching a child learn how to walk. A parent doesn't yell at a child in his first unsteady steps. He encourages and even supports him. This is the God and the Savior that I know. They want us to succeed. They cheer us on and give us unseen support beyond what we imagine.