Be not afraid – thoughts on Paris

I felt sick when I heard about Paris.

Such a beautiful city, under attack again.

I was glued to the news and became more depressed with each new heartbreaking detail. I hung on to each name, picture, and story that had come to an end so brutally. It shook me up.

First, I got to visit there with my family earlier this year.

Second, my husband served a two-year religious mission in Paris. He knew the areas well that were attacked.

Third, Paris is so close to London. This incredible city that I call home suddenly seems like a much bigger target than before.

It was scary to think about. In fact, I would have probably watched the news all day if I didn’t have to leave the house.

Instead, Tom and I went down to the coast to visit his grandpa. We got to have lunch with him in celebration of his 91^st birthday, which was so fun.

We got to talking about the Paris attacks, and Grandad said how sad he was for the people who were affected.

Grandad is a World War II veteran, and he saw terror first hand. I asked him how he dealt with living in London during the war, and he said they found the perfect response to terror: living.

He said everyone just carried on and lived life as normally as possible. He remembered going to the movie theater with his friends, and they had to stop the movie short after bombs exploded nearby. They all just left the theater, stepped over the rubble and broken glass, went home, and came back the next day to finish the movie.

He said that people commit terrible acts because they want to create fear. When you keep living, and keep loving, you fight back.

There is evil in the world. But evil cannot win if there is love present. The way to fight terror is to keep living, and doing all you can to lift those around you.