Reflecting on a tragic week

The week of 9/11 is always a time of thoughtful prayer and reflection. This year was extra special as the Gessing family traveled to New York City for a family vacation which included the 9/11 Museum and Freedom Tower. Both are highly recommended for those who remember the events in real time and those (like Paul’s children) who were too young or not born yet. It is a moving museum and Freedom Tower is a fitting replacement and homage to the original World Trade Center towers.

Here are a few  pics:

Then there was the brutal murder of Iryna Zarutska, a young woman from Ukraine who was killed by a maniac who should never been on the streets while numerous people just watched.

And, making an already difficult week even more tragic is the assassination of conservative political commentator Charlie Kirk. The murder of Kirk is the most impactful of all of these because the Rio Grande Foundation while non-partisan and not nearly as politically-engaged as Kirk’s Turning Point USA group does engage in similar public debates and events that get heated at times.

What is the future of free speech and discourse in America? After a spate of politically-motivated attacks on people from Donald Trump to Catholic schoolchildren in Minnesota, will people (especially conservatives) feel safe gathering in public and expressing their opinions? Is this going to make people even less willing to engage with people across the political spectrum?

This is a sad week both due to current and past events. We praying for the arrest of Charlie Kirk’s murderer and for the restoration of civility and respect across partisan lines.