Spurred to reinvest myself in Twitter, in order to follow L.A. Times writer Sam Quinones' report of the arraignment of the 22 year-old male shooter who killed 9 year-old Christina Taylor, five other victims, attempted assassination of U.S. Congresswoman Gabrielle Gifford, and wounded other people in Tuscon last Saturday -- here I now also am, world-weary and restless, while 9 year-old Christina, born Sept. 11, 2001, murdered by mayhem, Jan. 8, 2011, is lost to the world that desperately needs her.
I am unable to make sense of this tragedy; nor can I simply resign it to evil, though that tempts me, as too, I am tempted to hate the young man who murdered the child. I attempt a way through my consternation and dismay, just as countless others are doing. Today I reactivated my Twitter account to connect. I reassigned and remolded it so it is almost no longer a joke. A little soldier, it now marches along in our dimmed-down world with the uncountable cadre of Tweeters.
I have long delayed the overhaul of blogging my blogs require, too. Now I press on, in my minor tune and attempt to breathe life back into this blog. As I do, I glance back to Oct. 26, 2006, when I wrote that it was " the voice of Zeyad, the young blogger from Healing Iraq...who caused me to begin this blog....He can't foresee peace. Nor can I. But hearing him, then looking up his blog, gave me courage. If he can go on, so can I."
Congresswoman Gifford now crosses an uncharted landscape, the possibility of healing after a bullet shot through the high left portion of her brain. I set out across the uncharted landscape of my own bewilderment and lostness, which require that I write to feel, think and feel to write, to say what I must, what I want, and to join the multiplicity, regardless of whether I am heard. My god, if she can go on, so can I.
On Oct. 27, 2006, Zeyad, who to this day writes the blog Healing Iraq, wrote back to me: "Thank you for your heartfelt email. I truly hope that the American public will come to realise the reality of the situation and then work to change it. Please do what you can by helping to spread word among your friends and colleagues."
"I truly hope..." he wrote. For whatever reason, hope reappears.
