The Good Kind of Explosions

Every Summer around this time, if my family and I are sleeping around 11:00 PM, we will be awoken to the sounds of concussive explosions that ring through the night. While alarming, we return to sleep with the assurance that we're only hearing fireworks and celebration from the exhibition grounds a couple of kilometers away from us.

It's K-Days in Edmonton! Usually, we'll wake up our boys and watch the show from our back porch. Yesterday evening, we were amazed by the drone light show that was added to the festivities—hundreds of drones with lights flying and creating animated designs for the audience to take in.

I was grateful that what we experienced were drones intended for our delight, not our doom.

Relieved that the explosions were not bombs, but the sonic booms of celebratory fireworks. Edmonton is far from perfect, but it's a paradise of peace compared to some regions of the world today. In our world, fireworks and coordinated drones indicate peace. That's how good we have it.

I'm well aware that people experiencing the sounds of explosions at night do not doze off to sleep as easily as we do. When parents living in those regions wake their children during an attack, it's not to enjoy the spectacle of the moment or to help them create memories.

I'll be honest, I'm often overwhelmed by what's happening in Gaza and Ukraine. I feel powerless, frustrated, and angry. I’m furious at the lack of imagination in addressing these conflicts. The acceptance of violence is the greatest failure of humanity.

But I let myself feel all of it, and then I focus on what I can do.

In this world, peace is fragile. More delicate than any of us would like to admit. We all need to nurture it. The state of peace requires our diligence and our participation.

I invest in the peace of others. That means I donate where I can to organizations I trust. There are great organizations that make life work for people here in Canada and around the world. I'm happy to help!

I take the time to listen and understand people with whom I disagree. My goal is to stay at the table in the spirit of hospitality for as long as it is possible. I'll never pass the purity tests of ardent partisans on the left or the right because I'm willing to remain in a relationship with people who don't always share my values.

And I pray for peace.

Tonight, I pray for the kids and families around the world who have been on the receiving end of violent drones and explosions from bombs. I pray that communities all over the world can one day enjoy their own versions of K-days without the fear of death, for a day when flashes and booms in the sky bring smiles and not tears.

Thanks for reading, friend. May you find opportunities to invest in the peace of others this week.