It seems as of late, the issue of death, more so, tragedy, has been thrown onto
our everyday plate of social and societal digestion. Whether it be the local
news with cases of murder and manslaughter, or the situation of accidental and
sorrow-filled, we have and are becoming desensitized to the issue.
On the heels of the Casey Anthony verdict, and several stories
of other children across the country being killed by there parents or other
loved ones, the issue of death and tragedy is now becoming almost too much for
the listener to bear. Too much to understand. Too much, to wonder the proverbial
question of why. And now, so much, we are numb.
With so many cases of children being tortured, molested,
trafficked, or outright killed, we’ve slowly begun lack a true sense of feeling
for the children, and a growing outrage for the type of parents, excuse me, the
type of people we are living amongst on this earth. One has to ask themselves,
when did the world become this wicked? When did the unconditional love for the
innocence and curiosity of a child become dried up?
Like many, I too became hardened to the topic, almost to the
point of accepting the very extreme, but somewhat seemingly true at times,
argument that maybe this is part of the new world. Parenting and love just isn’t
what it used to be.
Heck, one could make the claim, which is not so extreme, that
our society doesn’t value life anymore.
However, after hearing about the death of Shannon Stone, the
firefighter who lost his life attempting to catch a foul ball for his son, my
heart sank. And that raw emotional feeling, returned.
The story, is probably the most emotional of 2011. More so than
many of the other stories of year.
Why? Simply because of these elements.
-
The sheer fact that a father died, attempting to gain what could of been a treasured memory for his son.
-
His plea after falling, for someone to look after his son, who was now alone.
-
Josh Hamilton, the player who threw the ball into the stands, and after all of the hurdles and demons he has beat in his life, will now have to deal with (and carry) this tragedy with him for the rest of his life.
-
And seeing how Hamilton, a changed man through faith, will have God work in his life, helping him through this time.
-
And finally, the most heart-wrenching element for me is the thought that a six year old boy, who was moments away from a life-long story and treasure, received the extreme opposite experience – watching his father fall to his death right before his eyes.
It’s a story that the media will soon forget, moving on to the
next racy, controversial, or hot-button topic. However, the thought of what
might be running through that child’s head - even right now – makes heart go
out to him. It makes me feel for him. It makes me pray for him.
And during a time when the stories surrounding us are so
heinous, graphic, and senseless, it’s a story of a father who died with an
unconditional love for his son, is the one that makes us feel again.