I can’t stop thinking about James Foley and his extraordinary parents.
There is such savagery and brutality in the world today, and in the case of James Foley it was on full display this week when the video of his horrific murder at the hands of terrorists was released for all to see.
Gruesome. Terrifying. I didn’t watch. The photo of James standing tall and strong before he was taken was enough for me to see. But it all has left me wondering how a person could do that to another. How scary it must have been for James. How scary the world is for us all.
And then there are his parents, John and Diane Foley.
I watched them on the Today Show on Friday and I was stunned.
Stunned that two people who had just lost their son in such a brutal way would be able to talk like that. With such grace, strength and dignity about compassion, love, prayer and bravery.
They also spoke about a phone call they received from Pope Francis who told them he was praying for them.
They talked of prayer. They talked of love, talked of compassion in the midst of such horror.
There are so many good people in the world.
Sadly the media doesn’t spend a lot of time focused on these good people who raise brave children and go about their lives promoting love and compassion.
Clearly the Pope gets attention when he talks about these values, as he should, he is the Pope after all. But there are so many brave Americans like the Foley’s who live theirs lives for good — driven by kindness, compassion and love.
I am in awe of their presence, in awe of their strength.
My eyes welled with tears when they spoke of their son and how proud they are of him. They were calm, they were intelligent, they were open, they were humanity at its best.
I send my prayers to them and I pray that we can focus our minds and our hearts on the good people that are here on this earth.
Give them the spotlight.
Their light, their example, their love and their compassion are the only things that can silence the brutality that tries to creep through.
Does good win over evil?
Watch the Foley’s because the answer is clear: Yes it does.
Yes it does.
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