A Big Day for Anniversaries

I didn't realize until this morning, but today is the anniversary of two major events. Sadly, not happy ones, though positive outcomes have arisen from both. The two events I'm speaking of are the rape of the "Central Park jogger" and the killings at Columbine High School.

Both of these events were discussed on the "Today" show this morning. Twenty years ago today, Trisha Meili was jogging at night in New York City's Central Park when she was raped and assaulted to near death. In addition to the sexual attack, she also sustained a head injury and, following a loss of 75 percent of the blood in her body, ended up in a coma for 12 days.

These days, Meili is an author (after revealing her identity as the victim of the brutal attack in 2003) and a motivational speaker. She still endures minor physical ailments and, due to her head injury, she has no recollection of the events surrounding her attack. She admitted to "Today" anchor Meredith Vierra that she often feels frustrated that she doesn't remember what transpired, but that she doesn't have nightmares or flashbacks and feels blessed for that.

She also noted that she has learned about healing from the attack. What helped her to heal emotionally during the initial days was cards and well-wishes in the thousands that came in to the hospital, from the city and from around the world. "The power of that loving care and support was stronger than the power of the violence that night," Meili said this morning.

Through her motivational speeches, she encourages people to reach out to others in distress in any way that's comfortable for them, because it does make a difference. The other message she gives is that "whatever challenge you're facing, you can do so much more than you ever felt possible. Don't get caught up in a past you can't change, or the future."

The shooting spree carried out by two teens at Columbine High School in Littleton, Colorado 10 years ago resulted in the deaths of 12 students and one teacher, the suicides of the two shooters, and 24 others injured, according to "Today."

The show focused on a few of the victims. Craig Scott lost his sister, Rachel, on that tragic day; she was the first person killed. Craig, who was also at the school that day, is currently a filmmaker and does outreach through a nonprofit organization that his parents started in honor of their lost daughter. Craig said that today he strives to treat those in his life better than he did 10 years ago; his last memories of time with his sister include arguments and fighting.

Patrick Ireland, known as "the boy in the window" from a photo of his rescue after being found hanging out of a library window, had been shot twice in the head and once in the knee during the incident, according to an account on the Web site for "Today." The "Today" telecast noted that Ireland spent 7 months in rehab where, among other things, he re-learned how to talk. Ultimately, he graduated the school as valedictorian. Like Meili, due to his injury, he has no remembrance of the shootings.

Shawn Graves, who saw the shooters, Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold, loading what he thought were paint guns in the school parking lot, was paralyzed from the waist down after being shot six times during the attack. Today, he is physically mobile--he hasn't used a wheelchair since his graduation from Columbine High, in 2002, according to his bio on the Christopher and Dana
Reeve Foundation Web site. Graves serves as an ambassador for the organization.

I got several things from seeing both of these stories. First, the mercy of God to have removed terrible memories of the events from the minds of some, and inability to walk, or even talk, for others. The second thing is how these people (and others mentioned) went on to not only survive, but thrive. It seems that God really used these people as a testament to the power of love, as Meili, for example, cited the love she felt as a factor in regaining a sense of normalcy in her life. The third thing is that, unlike many stories that populate the news during these increasingly celebrity-obsessed times, these people were average Joes like the rest of us. They could've been working in an investment firm alongside us, like Meili's occupaation before her attack, or a friend of a son or daughter who copped rides in the back of our cars. We come into contact with all kinds of people every day, and we never know what kind of turmoil they are going through, or what struggles are to come. By extending love now and not diminishing love if troubles arise in a person's life, we are truly enacting Jesus' greatest commandment.