War is Not the Answer

There is no medication or surgery or miracle that will ever allow these children to have what most of us imagine to be a "normal" life. There will be no softness of a parent's touch, no milestones celebrated, no choices made, no personal space or belongings, no variation in food or surroundings. Many never have or ever will see the sky or feel the wind.

These wounds of war will never heal.

Being in the midst of such suffering can bring on what feels like an ocean of sadness. It's in our nature to flinch, to turn away and to replace feelings with thoughts. We often find ourselves using words to sooth ourselves through rationalizations, rather then risk feeling too much and loosing our footing to the undertow.

A paradox perhaps, but in surrendering and allowing ourselves to be carried to the depths, we just may find the place that holds our deepest healing.

Maybe peace comes when we are able to accept that there are far more questions here then there will ever be answers. Maybe when we realize that while these children manifest the physical wounds of war, the spiritual wounds are imprinted on each and every one of us, as members of the human family.

And when we dive deep enough to recognize the gifts that lie within the distorted DNA that makes these children uniquely who they are, we see that they are messengers of hope. They teach us forgiveness, resilience, presence and unconditional love.

And they remind us that war is never the answer.