Value life

"Glad you're there; the US is under attack," commented my friend Marcia.  I knew she was referring to the shooting in El Paso, and I had not yet heard of the shooting in Dayton.   I hadn't heard of it yet when I chose a cemetery as the destination for my walk.

The Vaugirard cemetery (1798) is one of the oldest in Paris, according to a sign at its entrance.  In the 19th Century, it was expanded to include a section for soldiers from Les Invalides.  Surely many of those died from gunshot wounds inflicted in battle. 

But outside of that section for soldiers, I think there are few people interred in Vaugirard who died as a result of gun violence.  While it exists in France, gun violence does not happen here anywhere near as much as it does in the U.S.

As I read the terrible news this morning, I was sickened.  I was beginning to feel like life is not valued as much in the U.S. as it is in some other places.  Then my husband Tom read me this inspirational story that he found yesterday while searching for new essays for one of his textbooks/readers.

As he read the essay aloud to me, he choked up with tears -- even though this was probably the third time he'd read it.  I love this about Tom.  He is deeply moved by acts of kindness and love.

My pastor is like that, too.  He will also choke up when telling a moving story while giving a sermon.

Value life.  Treasure life.  Yours and everyone else's.  Be like Kenny.  Stop and say, "I've got you" when someone needs your help so that they can continue to live.

We don't just need thoughts and prayers, although prayer works.  We need action.  We need random acts of kindness, and Americans need gun control -- more, sooner, better, now!

Scenes from the Vaugirard Cemetery, above and below.

The military section was created in 1882.