by Daniel G. O'Leary

Created on: January 17, 2011

From every tragedy, invaluable lessons can be learned, and gifts and blessings that had been taken for granted or not fully realized can sometimes be thrust into the light, awaken the hearts and minds of the family of man,  unite us to get our priorities in order, and to take action that will benefit all within the World we live.

Such is the history of man, and when history is forgotten or not learned, it is repeated, for human nature remains consistent, and horrific acts of a few, often severely impact the many.

On Saturday, Jan 8th, 2011, a lone gunman attempted to assassinate another popular political figure, Arizona Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords. But, the lone gunman didn't stop there, after firing point blank into her head, he turned and fired at any and all he could, his sole intent to kill as many people as possible, for as long as possible. Regardless of what reasons were found later in notes or recordings, the worst of man, the evil intent that had escaped detection, that had been overlooked, that had not been questioned because it had not been comprehended in time, allowed history to be repeated and innocent lives to be lost.

Take notice of all that has happened; the lives lost, the lives altered, the lives influenced, the lives struggling to live the life that "is now' before them, uncertain, unscripted, and challenging minute by minute.

From the seemingly bottomless pit, the depth of this tragedy, we have been blessed as well; "... and a child shall lead them..." (author unknown to me), Christina Taylor Green, age 9, born on Sept. 11, 2001 was shot and killed while pursuing her passion to make a difference in this world, to be of positive influence. She was there to hear and meet a woman she thought was a great role model for her and others, Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords.

Even at the age of 9, Christina was already involved in politics in school, making a difference, participating in team sports, donating to charity, and pursuing a dream. Family and friends knew her, were inspired by her, but it was this tragic event that allowed us all to be touched within our minds and hearts by her.

In her death, we glimpsed life as it should be, pursued with passion, sincerity, and purpose, no strings attached, pure of heart. We have been blessed, we have been inspired, we have been united and reminded how important it is to have dreams, to have hope, to have faith, and to take action, to participate, to get involved.

And then, we've witnessed Congresswoman

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