A sea of flowers

A couple approach the railings of Hagley Park, Christchurch bearing their tokens of grief, solidarity and hope: flowers and a headscarf.

On Friday week ago we received a bizarre phone call. Noah's class was in lockdown. There was an incident in the city involving a gun and the kids were being kept until further notice.

What?!?

Clemency continued to school and sat for about 3 hours in the classroom. The rest of us turned on the TV and entered the nightmare we have all shared as a country in the week since. 50 people dead because of their faith, and our national sense of self upended forever.

By adding a lost and bewildered man wallowing alone in ignorance and fear, to some lazily drafted gun laws, we got a half hour of demonic hatred and fury and destruction. The Muslim community endured the full force of it, but we, all of us New Zealanders felt it as a personal attack. How could this happen here? We are embarked on a process of grief and readjustment, through the early stages of which our Prime Minister has led us with resolve and grace and honesty and deep, deep aroha. Every day this week I have thanked God for her and prayed for her safety.

On Friday Bridget, Clemency and I took the younger children to the gardens to see the flowers left along the railings of Hagley Park. The little ones are thankfully too young to know what happened, but even they could sense the power of that place, with its sea of bouquets and home made signs and cards and paper chains and candles. It wasn't a time for talking, but rather for prayer and tears and silence. These little gifts of empathy and grief, piled into a sea of colour and aroma are a statement that love can overcome evil.

Comments

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