Reflecting on another untimely death

Yesterday we received one of those calls; Elliot Brumm has died early Saturday morning in a car crash, apparently on the way home.

Elliot had been with Anna and I on our short-term mission trip to Bolivia. More like we went on his trip. You see Elliot loved going to Bolivia and it gave him a sense of purpose.

Elliott was a colorful, full of life kid. He had lived well beyond his 19 years and was one of those kids who had seen alot by 19, making him both wise and curious.

This is the second time in a 16 months that I have been close to death of the wrong kid, the death of a child. In each case, my reflection turns to the hole left behind. I know Jude Gilliam and Elliot are in heaven. Elliot, despite his roughness, knew Christ. But the whole in each family is palpable. The whole where a boy stood. a hole of personality and a role in the family. to me this is the real heartache left. Families are weird things.  Families are more than a sum of the parts. Mine is still forming, as Huck grows up his role in the family is emerging. But our 5 have a its own swagger and view, one that I cherish and miss. Tonight, we (minus Huck) were watching the Amazing Race in our master bed. I absolutely love those little snippets of time

 

 

Reflections on the Presidential Election and the Loss of Respect

We have come through another election for the President. My wife and I again cancelled each again with our votes. We have been doing that for quite a long time. When we were first married, I use to brow beat my wife, trying to change her point of view and thus her vote.

I have learned to appreciate her point of view. Although we continue to disagree, we have come to to place where we acknowledge of the strengths of each others positions. As we discussed this election, we both agree that respect, moreover the lack of respect for the opposing view is a huge problem. Ironically, I felt that McCain and Obama respected each other more than the either party wanted them to.

I read an article that calls out the treatment of Bush. I agree with this article 100% . President Bush has been treated very unkindly by the media, with a general mocking of him at a extremely personal level.  Some of it is down right mean.  But the irony to me is that this was started by the 90s by the right. The same treatment of disrespect towards Clinton was only ratcheted up with the left towards Bush.

I like Rush Limbaugh, and I think he has a role. But the fact that he has complaining about this as well is amusing. He was one who is an instigator to this lack of respect for opposing views. But lets not forget, with people like Al Franken and Keith Olbermann who treat social conservatives and right wing Christians as pariahs.  Neither side is one to admire here.  Neither believes the opposing view has merit, and anyone believing in the opposing view is foolish, dumb and a moron. Hollywood treats social conservatives as naive boobs, and then wondering why such material does not sell in Kansas.

And with the 24 hour news networks, these views only are becoming sharper, as the one who can shout the loudest, often saying the most absurd thing gets the day.

In the end, we need to see the opposing view as someone who merit, with respect.  But I am afraid that is in short supply and our new President will face a whole round of disrespect, sharper than before. It sells unfortunately. And it sickens