Sal's Reflections

The trauma of sudden death of a loved one is an devastating experience that can last for years. The families of those killed around the world will be immersed in pain and confusion beyond comprehension.For me it has rekindled so many truths that need to be reinforced. Tomorrow is no guarantee for any of us, and it is imperative that I convey my love to all who have touched my life.Also I must be open to the opinions of others in this time of crisis, and listen not merely to respond but rather to understand.Also there will be moments when I can with kindness and concern make my world one inch better.I pray that I will respond to each of these moments.

In the midst of shock and horror I find it somewhat consoling to reflect on the acts of heroism and compassion that were performed in Paris. It is easy to get lost in anger at the despicable acts of murder, but even in the midst of such horror the capacity for persons to act at a higher plain is worth noting.There were immediate responses by total strangers who tore off their shirts and bound the bleeding wound of a young man. One woman purchased a blouse so that one of the survivors would not have to wear her blood stained garments An elderly woman raced from her apartment and offered shelter in the midst of the killing.Others rushed into the restaurant and immediately offered aid to those wounded on the floor.One man fled from the restaurant but immediately grabbed a mother and her children and led them out the back door to safety.These were but a few of the consoling acts of care and compassion that happened, and will continue to be present.

It is impossible to fathom that people eating in a restaurant or attending a concert were massacred.The number of broken hearts today is staggering ,and it is time for every nation that prizes human life to stand together against these monsters. It is no longer sufficient for any country that has a soul to not stand up and take their part in ending this fanaticism. We in this country have known first hand what havoc was launched on 9/11 and the rest of the free nations must now realize that it can and will happen everywhere.I believe in diplomacy and have seen the horrors that war can bring, but this cancer must be rooted out at the roots and it is no longer the solution to look only to us to end this regime built on hatred.

History is replete with incidents where innocent lives are taken in the name of a cause or belief.In the last century there have been hundreds of cases where the slaughter was justified based on some political,racial or distorted religious belief.Last night it happened again in Paris, and totally innocent persons in that marvelous city were murdered by militants whose beliefs allowed them to justify the insanity of the slaughter.The aftermath for hundreds of Parisians and the nation of France will be devastating, but like all the monsters that have traveled this route before in the long run they will not win. The believers of thousand year Reich’s and plans to return to primitive violence may spread their venom and wreak havoc, but they never are able to sustain their barbarous acts.
The city of lights may be temporarily draped in black but their will come a day when this group of murderers will wind up on the ash heap like all those before them who believed that they could bring freedom,fraternity and equality to its knees.

I have always found it easier to respond to others requests for help than to ask for help myself. Over the years I have for the most part moved through my feelings ,and now find it much easier to ask for assistance in my many projects. The Lone Ranger approach is rather limiting, and I would encourage all to seek the aid, advice and counsel from others while you are attempting to achieve a new goal. It is not a sign of weakness but rather an indicator of strength that you are open to the assistance of others. I no longer hesitate to tap into the minds and hearts of my network, and it always produces great insights and actionable information.
Reach out and test the waters because there is real gold in your network.

St Aloysius church in Jersey City was located next to Lincoln Park and often persons down on their luck would come to the rectory asking for money or food. Father Kelly was having a difficult busy day when a man appeared at the door of the rectory. He was unshaven, and rather poorly dressed . Father Kelly thought to himself” I have little time for the long sob story”. He opened the door and said “forget the story.take this dollar because I don’t have time to listen.” The man began to cry and said”Father my wife just died and I came to have a Mass said for her”. That moment changed Father Kelly’s life and he told me never again did he make that kind of a mistake. There are persons that I have judged too quickly, and in reality I don’t know what is happening in their life. At least occasionally I remember that story that Fr Kelly told me.

I was too young to know my Uncle Joe before the second world war but had been told he was a gentle kind man.When he returned home after three years in the Pacific he was moody,constantly getting into fights and a radically different person.He was probably experiencing PTSD. My father in law Bud was wounded, and spent years as an army colonel in the Pacific campaign.My godfather’s brother was killed on the beach in Normandy, and three other relatives were wounded.Two 19 year old men from my neighborhood Lou and Frank were killed in Korea ,and I buried an Army officer who was killed in Vietnam when I was in Westfield.These and so many others have shed blood in the past, and even to this very day some may die or be wounded in far away lands.
Let us honor their sacrifices by pausing to reflect on the never ending debt we owe them for our cherished way of life.