The Healing Ceremony at the University of Arizona was a beautiful and moving event. Some people were expecting a boo-hoo morbid funeral-like affair. No. The purpose of this celebration--which was planned by the victims' families and the University of Arizona President; not by President Obama--was to:
1) Heal the nation and move us past negativity and knee-jerk finger-pointing.
2) Celebrate the lives of those who died.
3) Celebrate the lives of those who survived.
4) Honor those who bravely helped in the midst of chaos.
5) Remind America of her greatness--not of the pettiness and "victimhood" that others tried to portray for themselves.
6) Celebrate the diversity of this nation and focus on our commonalities, not on our differences.
This event was for the families, the people of Tucson and Arizona and America. It was not about or for President Obama. Yes, there was cheering and clapping--even in the sorrow of losing six precious lives, thirteen other lives were saved, and the target of the terrorist attack--Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords is stunning her doctors with her recovery. Upon realizing that the President, the First Lady, and several of her Congressional colleagues came to visit her, she opened her eyes for the first time since a bullet went completely through her brain and came out the other side.
President Obama was the invited guest speaker. This event was not supposed to be just about him. People cheered because they were glad to see the Leader of the Free World act like an intelligent, compassionate and charismatic leader, not like a whiny, complaining, incendiary cretin.
It was a beautiful tribute and an uplifting speech for a nation still in shock. It was a healing ceremony, not a funeral or even a memorial service.
(Thank you to my FB Friend: "I Love It When I Wake Up in the Morning and Barack Obama is President" for this beautiful graphic.)
[I am posting this to both of my blogs, so there may be some duplication for some of my readers.]
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