nos duele
In October Descanso Gardens, a beautiful botanical garden in our community, produces a family friendly event called “Carved”. With hay bale mazes for the kids, huge plots of jack-o-lanterns and other light installations, hot cider and a pumpkin carver on site, it is a little like stepping into a Hallmark movie. When attending “Carved” you could be in Small Town, Anywhere. It’s magical in a fun way…not in a creepy, Halloween slasher-movie way.
This year there was one installation that had a Day of the Dead theme…not surprising considering that we are in Southern California where the Hispanic culture is all around us. Our city’s name, La Canada, is an homage to our connection to the Mexican heritage of our greater SoCal community.
But this installation was new. When viewing it from afar it was charmingly reminiscent of the Disney movie, “Coco”. However, upon closer inspection, the images of the dead were almost all children. In the dark behind me I heard the whisper “Uvalde”. And then I realized what I was looking at. This was a memorial to the children and teachers who were massacred in the school shooting in Uvalde, Texas. The title of this memorial was “Nos Duele”. (We hurt, we grieve, it hurts us.)
No matter where you stand politically, there are a few issues that we should agree on for the welfare of all our children: that we must get Fentanyl off the streets and out of our playgrounds, and we must get automatic weapons out of the hands of mentally ill and angry people. These are certainly not the only issues…children are going to bed hungry each night and some are living on the streets. All these things which hurt the most vulnerable among us, hurt us all. We should all be able to say, “nos duele.”
I have no immediate or easy solutions. But I am praying for those who are on the forefront, fighting each of these battles. And prayer is not nothing. Prayer, humble prayer, not angry prayer, is the weapon God ordained as our starting place. When Solomon built the first Temple in Jerusalem, God approved and said: “If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land.” (2 Chronicles 7:14) This was the very first instruction for Temple worship.
This kind of prayer begins with "turning" or repentance on the part of those who already know God. It isn’t screaming about others’ sins. It is accepting that I am part of the problem before I can be part of the solution. It is hurting for those who are no longer here to hurt for themselves. It is seeking reconciliation as a higher good than “being right”.
Love, Liz
