On Friday, June 10, American singer and songwriter Christine Grimmie, 22, was shot and killed while signing autographs for fans after a concert in Orlando at The Plaza Live.
Early on the morning of Sunday, June 12, a gunman entered The Pulse, a gay night club in Orlando, mowed down 49 people and injured more than 50 others before he was shot and killed by police. It’s the worst mass killing in American history.
On Tuesday, June 14, a two-year-old boy, Lane, was visiting a resort at Disney with his parents, when he was snatched by an alligator and dragged into the water. His father wrestled with the gator in an attempt to save his son, but to no avail. The boy’s body was found yesterday, Wednesday, June 15.
In just five days, Orlando, which calls itself City Beautiful, has been the site of three tragedies and all of them have made global news. So what is going on?
Cities, like families and communities, have a collective energy that is tested with tragedies like these. By all reports, Orlando’s residents are drawing together in powerful ways – through vigils, blood donations for the victims, prayer. Today, President Obama and VP Biden will meet with families of the victims, the first responders, the physicians and nurses who helped to save lives.
I think this piece by an Orlando resident describes what we all hope will emerge from this mass killing – and from Obama’s visit.
Now take a look at the rainbow that appeared over the nightclub. The rainbow has been a symbol of gay pride since Harvey Milk. How’s that for a synchro?
I don’t know what to think about this. Three very bad things in one week. This is no coincidence.
There has been another upliftng story on the national news about one of the airlines….Jet Blue again, I think….that was transporting a devastated Grandmother to Orlando free of any and all charges. As the several hundred passengers boarded the jet, the flight attendant gave each one a note that the Grandmother was aboard, and which seat she was in. Every single passenger….every one….went to that Grandmother, gave her a hug, held her hands, gave her words of sympathy and caring; many shed tears with her. And before the end of the flight, each class all together at the same time: coach, business, first, held several moments of silence and prayer in honor of this Grandmother and her lost Grandchild. THIS is the America we love and cherish! THIS is who we are. I refuse to allow myself to believe otherwise.
I saw that story. Really great!
The rainbow photo is quite something, very meaningful.
The Orlando killings were horrific. There is so much hate about. You may have read how one of our Members of Parliament, Jo Cox, was killed: shot and stabbed on June 16th.
All so sad.
Today’s post is called, ‘It comes in threes.’ So I open up a book I’ve been reading called Talking to the Dead, by George Noory and Rosemary Ellen Guilley and I read this: “The number three plays a prominent role in myth, mysticism, folklore, alchemy, and the dynamics of spiritual change. Three opens the gateway to the higher planes—it symbolizes creation and ascent. It is concerned with fate, destiny and synchronicity. When things happen in threes, on should pay attention, for the universe is sending a wake-up call.”
So it was a synchronicity about threes, which in part is about synchronicity. Interestingly, the above comment began on page 57, which adds up to a 3.
Yes…the free car rentals. And, Jet Blue is offering completely free flights to families and friends as well, from anywhere in the country to Orlando. It is such a shame that it takes a heinous event such as this one to demonstrate the innate Goodness in the human family.
Didn’t know about jet blue. This is great!
I was watching the local TV news yesterday when the rainbow appeared. It brought tears….again!….but also smiles. How can we even begin to doubt that there exists some kind of Divine Presence within and without every living thing on this planet? Like DJan, I couldn’t help but weep. In sorrow, and also in gratitude, sensing that Divine Energy. In my mind there was a “vision” of all those departed Souls gathered together, side by side, standing tall, holding hands, creating that band of gorgeous color radiance in the heavens above the place where they were simply enjoying life and each other. To diminish the sanctity of the vast community of GLBT that abides around us is to diminish aspects of ourselves.We are, truly, ONE. I am personally super straight, but if I may take up a bit more space here on the blog, I’d like to share a story. When I was in the fifth grade, I met another fifth-grader named Beverly. We became best buddies, Bev and me. And we remained best buds thru the years, until Bev succumbed to the ravages of stomach cancer when we were fifty. No matter where each of us lived, we remained in touch with each other via mail and lengthy phone conversations. In high school, it was noticed that Bev was a lesbian, but she wasn’t flaming or flamboyant. However, from the moment of her birth, this girl was the personification of genuine, pure, happy laughter. It was natural. She was FUNNY. Each time she opened her mouth, she had folks rolling on the floor. She looked like Carol Burnette, tall, slender, and her hilarious nature wasn’t contrived. It was as natural as breathing in her. Being with her, spending time with her, was a huge pleasure for anyone who found her in their midst. Also in high school, Bev’s parents, who were fundamental evangelical Christians, discovered her sexual orientation, (although Bev never acted upon it), and they sent her away to the Bob Jones Baptist University so that “Jesus could cure her of the abomination”. While there, Bev won the coveted Spirit of Bob Jones honor; she was president of her enormous class; she had numerous other honors. Well, Bob Jones, Jr., discovered that Bev was gay, and he took her into his office. He told her God hates homosexuals and that she was going to hell. He told her she could remain at the university on two conditions: 1) that she would stand in front of the ENTIRE student body, (5000+ students), confess her sin, and renounce it, repenting, seeking God’s forgiveness. And 2), she would forfeit ALL her honors as well. An hour later, Bev’s room mate found her in their dorm room, crouched in a corner, in a total catatonic state. Bev was admitted to a lock down psyche unit where she was diagnosed bi-polar and schizophrenic, and she was administered continuous doses of Haldol and Thorazine and cortizones for four months, In those four months, my wonderful friend’s weight ballooned from a svelte 130# to over 400#, due to the meds. That was her weight when she was finally released and was no longer on the meds. She became the Bev we had all known and loved, except that she weighed 400#. Here’s an inspiring, amazing aspect of her story: Bev came to the beach here from Atlanta to visit us. Our boys, older teenagers then, adored her. She went to the beach with them, carrying around her massive waist an enormous eighteen-wheeler truck tire innertube. The boys were not for a single moment ashamed to be with her. She exuded such an aura of undiluted JOY around her, and she had all the dozens of folks on the beach laughing not AT her, but WITH her. She was in an administration position at the Traveler’s Insurance Company in Atlanta for a long time. One night in my dream, Bev came and told me she had crossed over to The Other Side. Before I even got out of bed. I reached for my phone to call her. Her sister Nancy, an Atlanta cop, answered. I identified myself and asked to speak to Bev. Nancy said, “Bev’s dead”. Silence. Utter silence. Then I said, “Nancy, what are you telling me?” “Bev’s dead”, she repeated. “How?” from me. She had died from stomach cancer, very quickly. I sat up on the bed and felt myself shatter into pieces. Sobbed. Sobbed beyond any comforting. Called my hubby at work and told him. He also cried. As did all three of our boys, adults by then. Throughout my life, I’ve had several amazing friends that are members of this Rainbow population, and not once, NOT ONCE, has any of these friends been hateful or spiteful or mean or cruel. They are creative, generous, loving souls. I feel blessed by their friendships, and Beverly Jean McPherson will always, always be smiling in her special corner of my heart, Thank you, fellow bloggers and Trish and Rob, for giving me this space and time to honor her…..one of the most special Souls in our Universe. Gone, but never, ever, ever forgotten.
Amazing! Well spotted synchros
In mass events, it seems there are usually synchros, even if it takes a while to spot them!
There are always synchros. I have been reading synchros about some of the victims and would-be victims, always amazing.
LOVED that beautiful amazing rainbow. Maybe even more than a synchro, don’t you think? What to call it?
The rainbow, to me, was a beautiful symbol of solidarity.
It definitely was.
It could also be a message from the victims…when my Nana died a couple of years ago, when our entire family (we are never all in the same place at the same time) went to Papa’s house for dinner a few days later, there was a rainbow over her house. I think she knew we were all there and it was her.
I also thought of three’s when I heard about that poor toddler. That rainbow over the Pulse brought tears to my eyes. I’ve been having as hard a time with this one as I did with Sandy Hook. My heart is broken, again. I’m glad I have you around to share the grief with me.
We just received an email from Advantage car rental saying they are offering free car rentals to the families and domestic partners of the victims. Their headquarters are in Orlando.