Yesterday five people were shot to death and one sent to the hospital with critical injuries in a senseless act of violence that is also occurring all around the world even as I write this. However this one is way to close to home for me. You see I used to work at the Burlington Mall just a few years ago and just down the corridor from Macy’s!

The questions that come to mind in a tragedy like this are hard to articulate and accept. What, if anything, can be done to stop the killing? With each act of violence people become more desensitized to these horrible acts of insanity and violence. And one only has to watch the nightly news to be barraged with a litany of human suffering that is mostly, and unbelievably, self inflicted.

I have Multiple Sclerosis, and believe it or not, it’s easier to blame God, even though I realize that it’s not Gods fault, for a disease that has taught me understanding and compassion. These are precious gifts even if learned through hardship and pain. But I find that I just have a really hard time finding any understanding in acts of violence that take another life in most cases.

Where do we go, and where do we turn from here? Or are we doomed to a fate filled existence of hate without end?

Prayers for both the living, and the dead. And may we all see the light of a truly blessed and harmonious world that we could create if we only took the time  to realize that Heaven on Earth is a possibility that is not beyond imagination to conceive. It just takes a little effort and a long heartfelt look at human ego and how to build a loving soul rather than a hate filled one!

Bill Walker