So much has been written about the horrible killings of Amish schoolgirls in Lancaster County, PA this week, I wasn’t sure if we could add anything to the discussion. There are only so many ways to say “senseless” after all.
Then I came across this story:
The Pocono Record reports that monies are pouring in from all over the world to help the families of victims pay for that most visceral of modern “conveniences” - high hospital bills. Several paragraphs down in the story, you’ll find that the victims’ families were not only reluctant in accepting the money, they also insisted that similar funds be set up for the shooter’s children. This corresponds with earlier accounts that Amish community elders visited Roberts’ wife on the very day of the shootings to tell her that they forgave her husband for what he did.
That kind of foregiveness and compassion for those who would hurt you, who have hurt you, is unheard of in these times.
It sort of makes you understand, in a way, why the Amish separate themselves from our world in the first place.