This Sunday, the 10th anniversary of the September 11 attacks, my church will have a book table set up featuring Forty Lives. The timing has forced me to dwell on the book’s message in light of the memories of that horrific day. It’s not so hard to write a story – pure fiction – of a journey from despair to forgiveness. But to face the reality…that’s something else entirely.
I guess I’ve thrown down the gauntlet to myself. Am I able to forgive, not just global offenses but those that occur in my own backyard? Forgive my friend’s ex-husband who cares more about his selfish desires than the well-being of his children? Forgive the politicians on both sides of the aisle who spew venom at each other? And somehow forgive the men who in the name of all that is holy committed the most unholy of acts in murdering innocent Americans?
So I will wrestle with this. And I will sit at that table promoting my book – ultimately a story of hope. And I will trust that its message is not lost on its author…on this day especially.