Does Killing Someone Lift Your Spirit?

On yesterday's post, Duncan commented, "You must be the first American I've come across in the last 24 hours who DIDN'T rejoice at the death of bin Laden! Refreshing!"

Yikes.

While I am not saddened by his death, I must say I had conversations with my teenagers yesterday about how odd it felt to me that everyone was celebrating the fact that we (the U.S.) killed someone. I know I'm usually the odd-man-out and a wishful-thinker, but anger and hatred and revenge do nothing to lift my spirit.

What does lift my spirit?

The fact that my neighbor didn't simply stop and put his mower away when he finished cutting his grass Monday night. Instead, he mowed the grass in our front yard as well. He didn't need to do that. But he wanted to be kind.

What lifts your spirit?

Osama Bin Laden

Today, I'm sending my oldest child (17-yr-old son) to Washington D.C. - - - the day after the U.S. killed Osama Bin Laden.

This morning's news shows large celebratory crowds outside of the White House.

My son has tickets to tour the White House tomorrow.

Nearly ten years ago, on 9/11/01, I was so freaked and tramatized by the towers falling and the Pentagon burning and airplanes crashing, that I went straight to my children's elementary school and pulled them out of class. I thought the world was coming to an end (or at least the U.S. was being invaded), and I wanted my young children within my grasp. Only a handful of parents reacted the way I did. Oh well.

Now, instead of keeping my son within my grasp, I will be driving him to the airport so that he can travel to the heart of our nation. It makes my stomach knot just a bit.