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</o:shapelayout></xml><![endif]--></head><body lang=EN-US link="#0563C1" vlink="#954F72"><div class=WordSection1><p class=MsoNormal>Miracles and Debacles<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Marcia J. Wick, The Write Sisters<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>July 2018<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Word Count: 326 <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>“It’s a miracle! We won,” my friend celebrates after a tight game. But what about the other team? For the losers, it’s a disaster. For every miracle, there is an opposite tragedy, it seems to me. The families of survivors thank God for saving the lives of their loved ones, while the loved ones of the dead and dying feel deserted by their God. Why is one woman incredibly rescued from the claws of a predator while another is found too late, although each prayed to God for a life-saving miracle? When one premature baby, the size of a bird, clings on and thrives while another little heart flickers out, do we praise God for salvation or curse him in desperation? Floods and earthquakes and hurricanes are catastrophic, but the new growth that arises from ashes is nothing short of magic. When the harvest is abundant, we give thanks and invite strangers to our table. When there is drought and famine, we turn away the refugees seeking relief. The discovery of a new planet is viewed as a phenomenon, while the old guy has been drifting about the vast universe undiscovered for eons. We wonder at our luck when we spot that perfect seashell or shiny stone amongst millions of grains of sand; we lament the loss of Mom’s diamond ring at the beach. Every rose in bloom threatens a thorn. Every rise of one nation portends the downfall of another. Every newborn one day will die. Dichotomy, dualism, dialectical behaviors - giving or taking, war or peace, compassion or violence; it seems we are born into situations predisposing us to pledging allegiance to one side or the other. In the name of family, country, race, or religion, we rationalize miracles and debacles. Must one person’s loss be another’s gain? Must one of us suffer for another to survive? Perhaps the real miracle is how our hearts, minds, and souls can transcend it all through love.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p></div></body></html>