Overwhelming

This week my 8 year old daughter asked "why do grown ups always talk about the news?" I asked a few followup questions and had a great discussion. We talked a bit about world events, a bit about local politics, a bit about prayer, and a bit about anger. 

We don't have a traditional television in our home. We have a smart TV to play a few select programs, and we get most of our news via reading, rather than watching. My daughter has clearly begun to pick up on the prevalence of news as other homes, doctors offices, or restaurants will have news playing constantly. There are some things that my wife and I choose to discuss with our daughter as a part of her growth and education, and other things that we choose to spare her from. 

I use the word "spare" because in many ways, must of the anxieties of adult life would be torture for a young mind to try and take on. It's already fairly overwhelming as an adult to process the news of each day. In our city we daily have multiple shootings (The various branches of the US Military regularly send their doctors in training to our city as it is a great place to learn to treat gunshot wounds), we have had multiple riots over the last decade regarding incidents between police and civilians, and this year of course many of the regular places we would regularly visit (our local science center, playgrounds, art museum, and zoo) have all been closed due to pandemic related policies. 

Last week we went to our local playground. A spot of much joy for our family. For months it has had yellow police tape around the swings, the jungle gym, and the slides. The day before we went to the playground, I had been on a walk with our newest dog. I saw children and families gathered at the playground playing, and I saw no yellow tape. It was a relief as I checked the news to see that many recreational parts of our region were opening back up. The day we went to the playground my two oldest children had a ball. They were joyful, skipping, bounding and laughing about their favorite pieces of equipment. 

The next day both my oldest children were awake for my first walk of the day with our dog. As we approached the park I told them to run and play. They ran down the hill and around the nearby tennis courts only to come running back to me in tears. The tape was back, the playground was closed. My 8 year old daughter and 5 year old son were crushed. "Stupid politics" said my oldest, "Stupid quarantine" said my son. 

It's all a bit overwhelming this world we live in. Whether we are grown ups trying to make wise decisions, or children trying to exercise. In the midst of this, we've had a saying. "Every day is a new day" is the chorus of our family. Some days we say it only a few times, other days we say it often. We look forward to the day, when every day won't be a new day. When the day will be an everlasting day. Where the only overwhelming thing will be the reality that we stand physically in the presence of God for eternity. 

I look forward to the day when life is no longer overwhelming with tears, but rather overwhelming with joy.