Normally – this blog and site contains posts related to Walt Disney and Walt Disney World. This one is different. It is posted on the event of the terrorist attack in Orlando. Nothing about Disney is included below, instead some thoughts about life and hope.
We are the land of the free because of the brave!
I just got the chance to see a beautiful sight – the amazing Orlando skyline standing against the Florida sky. As I gazed on the sight of the city that I am proud to say is my hometown, I am reminded of the way I started my day. The sleepy eyed start to the Sunday was pulled into the grim reality of the story that has now riveted the nation.
Terror had arrived in my hometown. In the wee hours of the morning the report of a lone wolf terrorist had opened fire on people in a local nightclub. The one who committed this act was not a lone wolf, in reality he is better described as a rabid dog. Sickened by the disease of evil, with no regard for human life, and driven by a warped religious cause is a better description for the one who perpetrated the murderous dead.
In my hometown, terrorists thought they could create fear, terror, and defeat. The cowardly attack took the lives of innocent people, injured others, disrupted families, and created moments of confusion and chaos. All over America, people watched the images, heard the reports, and throughout the night and into the morning we began to hear the stories of those who were there.
The heroic decision of the Orlando Police Department to send in the SWAT team to bring an end to the wicked wimp’s moment of malevolence was the only decision that they could make. Their bravery is to be applauded and I am thankful for their courage and all of the courageous acts of those first responders who stepped up and stepped in when steps had to be taken.
When smug cowards are at their worst, falsely believing that their expressions of hatred will somehow dampen the fire and fight of freedom, their ignorance is blatantly exposed for the world to see.
They have forgotten these words written by Thomas Jefferson, “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”
Freedom does not hold up, fold up, give up, shut down or bow down. Instead it stands. It is forged through sweat, muscle, work and commitment…it was not won overnight, it was carved out over the course of lifetimes and it will not be snuffed out by gutless crusaders who have no grasp on the Divine adventure we as Americans have been called to live by and are blessed to live out.
My hearts and prayers go out to the people in my hometown, to the families and friends of those who have lost loved ones, our prayers for healing go out to those who have been injured, and our prayers of hope and future once again are lifted toward God as we once again rally, recoup, reorient, and continue this race that the Lord has set before us. In this moment of tragedy, our prayer is that we would look to the author and finisher of faith…we would strive to live the lives that God created us to live, that we would embrace each day and live it to the fullest, that we would not take for granted our blessings, and that our hearts would hold on to the hope that He gives.
A moment is the place where we stand between the events of the past and on the brink of the future. This moment is dark but the future is in front of us. Orlando will respond with love, toughness, and the tenacity to never be defeated. Orlando still stands. America still stands.
Love Orlando – Love my Hometown – Orlando Stands!
–Jeff Dixon, June 12, 2016