911 Anniversary

Her face still haunts me
this woman whose face I remember from television nearly ten years ago.
She stood near Ground Zero, New York
before we called it that.
She held a sign
hand lettered, primitive, on poster board
with his name and a picture of her husband's face.
He was lost in the rubble.
We could all witness her anguish
as we munched on popcorn
from the comfort of our living rooms.

We saw the searching eyes
the longing
the heartache
the terror that had begun to leave its footprints on her soul.
It was the beginning of a shattered world for her
and we sat as silent witnesses to the loss of her beloved.

When I see and remember her face now
the brokenness waiting to be born
I think she is a portrait of God -
longing for His lost children
longing for the restoration of relationship
longing for the broken places to be healed and restored
longing for reconciliation and love
and unwilling to face the horror of a lifetime without us.

I see the good Shepherd doing whatever it takes
to find His lost sheep
and bring it safely home.
The way that anguished woman longed for her husband
and did everything she could to find him
is the same way that God longs for each of us
and will not stop
until we are safely home.

May God's great, huge heart
comfort all of those who still grieve losses from that day
and give us courage to live for peace.