OKC National Memorial

Saturday evening, my parents and I visited the Oklahoma City National Memorial--at least the outside portion. It was a sobering and thoughtful experience.

When we arrived, we started by ambling along the 200 ft of fence along which people have left numerous items to express their thoughts and memories. There were wreaths with pictures, signed t-shirts, license plates from as far away as CA and WA (and one from Attica, KS), memorial marathon participant tags, scores of charms, dozens of beaded necklaces, and several watches, just as a sampling of items people have left.

What really started me thinking was a couple names that I saw several times--Chase Smith and Colton Smith; brothers, 3 & 2 years old, killed in the bombing. There were several sheets of paper with their names, pictures, and notes that they were being remembered even as they celebrated their time in heaven. Whether such extensive expressions were signs of healthy memories or unhealthy extended grieving, I chose not to contemplate. Instead, I wondered what could possibly have been good about the ending of these two lives and the 166 others so suddenly. We are promised that God works all things together for the good of those who love Him. What could possibly be the good of so many deaths?

After wandering through the Children's Area with sentiments expressed in sidewalk chalk and painted on tiles, and looking over the Reflecting Pool to the Field of Empty Chairs from the Survivor Tree, we followed the marble (salvaged from the Murray building) walk outlining the footprint of the building. On this portion, we passed the Survivor Wall--pieces of wall from the building--and paused to reflect on the more than 800 names carved on the wall. These 800 names are names of survivors. This reminded me of the protection of God experienced by so many that day.

I'm still not going to attempt to guess what purpose or good might ever be found in such a horrendous act, but I have faith that just as God protected the lives of those in the immediate area that could just have readily died, He chose to take the lives of others to be with Him. Neither the continued life of of some individuals nor the sudden death of other individuals was unknown or unintentioned by God.