"Roped Out"

My heart is broken for the people of Moore tonight.  Trained as a first responder, although not at the scene today, I could see the overwhelming devastation and shock on the faces that wandered through the debris after the storm had finally roped out.  I felt a connection to the people in the disaster and the location which is so familiar to me.  I lived with my dad in the same neighborhood during ninth grade and I also have friends who currently live in the area.  Thankfully, they are all accounted for and safe tonight.

On Thursday night, while at work at the airport, they were already talking about severe weather that was being forecast for the weekend and through the coming week, not unusual for this time of year.  When I got off work at midnight, I drove back to Edmond, 25 miles north, but I kept feeling restless and I didn't want to go home.  I decided to drive for a while but I didn't know where I wanted to go exactly.

Then my daughter called me as I was driving toward the direction of her house and she said she would go with me on a drive.  We decided to drive to Moore to check on a friend there.  The airport is near Moore and I had just come from there, but I felt like we should go back.  Her friend was staying at a home near S.W. 149th and Santa Fe in Moore.

 After we got there and saw everything was alright, we decided to stop for a few minutes on the corner of the intersection at 149th and Santa Fe where we parked at the Walgreen's and got out of the car for a few minutes.  My daughter wanted to have a smoke break, and I still felt restless.  As we drove up 149th, a bird flew in front of my car, which was odd for 2am, and as we sat and talked, I mentioned to her that the birds were being unusually noisy for so late at night.  All the businesses were closed except for a 7-11 (which is no longer there after the storm today).  It was very quiet except for the birds, who seemed restless and I noticed it because I felt it too.

Seeing what happened here today, I wondered if the birds might have sensed something was going to happen.  Since I was near the area while at work, I wondered if maybe I sensed something too, because I don't usually feel so restless that I don't want to go home when I get off work that late.

After a few minutes we drove back to Edmond, and I was finally ready to sleep.  I found out today the corner we stopped at was only one block from the Briarwood Elementary School, which took a direct hit during the tornado today.  Thankfully, there were no fatalities at this location.  However, the Plaza Towers Elementary School has had many fatalities so far, where the search and rescue are still underway.

The story of teachers who protected and covered their students even with their own bodies to protect them from the flying debris and falling structures is so incredible.  One teacher saved the lives of six students by shielding them from a wall of cinder blocks that was falling on them.  They are my heroes, as well as those who have helped the rescue efforts in any way. 

at Briarwood Elementary, Moore, OK
 Here's a TV news report: http://goo.gl/RpgLQ

- me in 5th grade -

None Opposed

The Shroud of Turin, thought to be the burial cloth of Christ, has always interested me.  I recently became curious about the symbolism of hands in reference to works of art and noticed the position of the hands on the image of the Shroud, particularly the position of the thumbs.  According to an article by Ray Zone, "Palmistry: Oppositions and Blessings," the position of the thumbs can be significant symbolism.  He writes:

"The thumb at birth is generally hidden and folded under the other fingers.  As the child matures and the personality develops, it opens and almost assumes a life of its own.  During sleep, the thumb reverts to folding back again under the fingers.  As the personality develops in life, the thumb becomes a vibrant display of character.  At death, the thumb is once again folded under the fingers."

Another purpose I discovered for folding the thumb inward towards the palm is shown in the pictures below:

The "knife hand," also known as Sudo Makki, uses this position of the hand to strike an opponent as well as to block.  This hand position is also used in the movie "Kill Bill" to direct one's energy before striking a blow to an opponent or an obstacle:



I also found, contrary to popular belief, that according to one online article in "The Finger," the thumbs-up gesture did not represent a sign to spare a gladiator's life in Ancient Rome.  The article states, "A phlebian's pointed thumb or "pollice verso" (whether the thumb is pointed up, down, or somewhere in between, we don't know) meant the combatant was to be slain.  A HIDDEN THUMB, folded out of sight, or the "pollice compresso," meant he was to be spared."

In a way, Jesus was like God's thumb.  He was with God and God through Jesus, the Word made flesh, unfolded at the creation of the world.  The gospel of John says that everything that was made was made by and through Him, and nothing exists apart from Him.  God did all his work of creation in six days, and on the seventh day He rested.  Then, when the time came for Jesus to come to earth, He did not come to do what He wanted, but He came to reveal the nature and character of God and to do God's will.  If our thumb reveals our character and personality as we live our lives, Jesus lived His life in a way that revealed the character and personality of God, the Heavenly Father.  He didn't do His own will, but He only did what He saw His Father doing, Jesus only expressed what he saw God's thumb print on, or he was the thumb print of God for us to behold.  He was filled with and guided by the Holy Spirit, and He emptied Himself to the point of death, even dying on a cross so that God's will could be fulfilled and accomplished through Him. 


In each of the descriptions I found about thumbs folded inward, I like this idea the best:  That God in His love spared the world from judgment, death, and separation from Him, so that we can receive eternal life, which is to know Him.  Since salvation is of Jewish origin, a "goyim" like me was far from God and without hope in the world apart from Him, and could only be brought near to God by the blood of Jesus' sacrifice by His death on the cross (Ephesians 2:13).  He did this by folding his thumbs inward at the time of his death; through dying, he dealt a death blow to the one who had the power of death, and by separating our sins from us through His blood that was shed, He made a new and living way for us to be united to God.  He broke through for us, so that death can no longer hold any power over us.  Since this is the week of Christ's passion in the Coptic and Greek Orthodox Christian Church, we remember his power, not in the glory of his resurrection, but in the humility of his obedience and submission even to the point of a violent death.  He did not oppose death, but entrusted his soul to a faithful Creator, and looked only to endure suffering, to love, to bear, and to save those who put Him to death.  We are all part of that crowd, and are able to recognize his cry, "Father forgive them, for they know not what they do."

God is opposed to the proud, but gives grace to the humble.  (I Peter 5:5 & James 4:6)