The sad news from Norway last week continues to hold so much of us in shock. Violence of this kind, anywhere, is senseless. But violent bloodshed in a place like Oslo – a place that is so clearly trying to bring together new ideas and a young generation in the name of progress and peace – the juxtaposition is unfathomable and unthinkable.
I was introduced to Norway just last month during my first visit and wrote about some of the things that most touched me: the openness of the new friends I made, the focus on ways to be good stewards to the world and a global tomorrow, and the optimism that young people today can lead us into a better future.
My son caught wind of the headlines yesterday and asked me “Dad – when you told us about Norway, you never talked about stuff like this.”
Indeed I hadn’t. And never imagined I would.
Today I am monitoring social media and my inbox for news from the people we met and of the details of a tragedy that doesn’t belong in anyone’s reality. The prayers we send to Oslo are prayers that this should never happen in that capital, in any capital, or in anyone’s life.
I brought my kids back a small patch from Norway that I told them we would sew on their backpacks before the first day of school (they love to collect patches and keychains and put them on their backpacks…and I love bringing parts of the U.S. and world to them as I travel). This patch now represents something new for them, and for me. It represents another reason why we are bound together and have to work together for a peaceful world.