Sunday morning I woke up to a notification on my phone which read, “Mass shooting in Orlando. 20 confirmed dead. Many injured.”
My Facebook feed began to fill. Instagram photos began to circulate saying #PrayForOrlando. Within the next hour, my family went to church, and I expected that they would say something about the tragic event. Indeed, there were prayers for the families. There were prayers for the first responders and medical personnel who were still in the trenches saving the lives of the injured. But then there was an announcement that I didn’t expect.
“There is an urgent need for blood. If you are type-O blood type, you have our blessing to leave the service RIGHT NOW and go to the Altamonte AMC theaters to give blood.”
Immediately people began to respond. One person stood up, and then another, and another. People began standing with a look of purpose on their faces to go. A few dozen people exited the auditorium, including my husband.
News continued to come to my phone. Higher death counts. Possible terrorist connections.
For a moment I felt fear. It seemed hopeless, but then I saw feedback from my husband. “People are wrapped around the building and the block. We are being told to come back tomorrow…they are at capacity for the day!” Throughout the day, similar news stories came from local news stations. People responded in a powerful way. They were doing something.
#ORLANDOSTRONG and #PrayForOrlando. All day I sensed urgency from my Facebook friends. They wanted to do something. They needed to respond somehow. We all want to do something.
This is all positive and I’m so proud of our community. However. I need to pause for a moment. I don’t want to go any further without acknowledging the fact that our city suffered a major tragedy. People in our community died. 50 people died and 50+ more were seriously injured because of a senseless act of violence. I pray that in the midst of our desire to want to do something, that we don’t EVER forget the fact that there are mothers, daughters, sons, fathers, and friends who are hurting and mourning. May our desire to do something never lose its focus on why we are doing something.
I pray we never lose this sense of community. I pray we never lose the urgency to do something for others in our midst.
Give blood. Go to a candlelight vigil. Donate. Volunteer. Pray. Be a helper. Join the helpers.
Like that Mister Rogers quote, “When I was a boy and I would see scary things in the news, my mother would say to me, ‘Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping.’”
