Boston and us

It seems a little odd to have posted humor at a time like this, but in one sense it is always "a time like this" in this fallen world. Pick any moment; somewhere hate is making its bloody self felt. We just don't know those stories. This one we share.

We're none of us really safe anywhere, and never have been. A fellow brought and lit a bucket of gasoline on a bus in Madison. He had no political or economic motive. (Two of the burn victims wed a couple years ago.) I don't worry when I ride the bus to work, but I do look at the faces. (It isn't a very reliable method, but some people's problems show easily. If you see them you look for other oddities.)

This kind of resignation is no comfort to the wounded or their families, and I hope none of them are reading this. (If you are, you are in my prayers: just skip the rest.)

Most of us aren't family or friends of the victims; they have special duties right now. For the rest of us it is prayer and readiness; prayer for those we now know of, and for the tens of thousands that didn't make the news. And readiness: When disaster comes near me, am I ready? Checklist time: Do I know first aid, have blankets and a place to sleep after a fire, a reserve I can dig into for neighbors in trouble? Do I have encouragement left unsaid, anyone left unforgiven, or favors postponed too long?