Reynaldo Leon Escarzaga - Eulogy - 11/21/2012

Reynaldo L. Escarzaga Sr. was born on May 11, 1927 to Ramon and Candy Escarzaga in Riverside, California. Grandpa was so gungho about serving his country that he lied about his age and joined the Army at the age of 17 during World War II, serving as a supply truck driver in Italy where he earned the Army of Occupation and World War II Victory medals. After leaving active duty service, he worked for 35 years at Norton Air Force Base as a Pipe Fitter maintaining the heating and air conditioning systems throughout the base.
Rey was preceded in death by his wife of 49 years, Carmen Escarzaga. He is survived by his five children, Marian, David, Thomas, Cindy, and Rey Jr., Sister Emma Gutierrez, and Brother Henry Escarzaga. He also leaves a heritage of 15 grandchildren and 19 great-grandchildren.
May 11, 1927 to November 15, 2012.  For those who pass his grave, there will be little else to remember him by but the day of his birth and the day that he left this world.  To us in this room, the days between those two have changed our world and have made us better people because we knew Grandpa. 

What kind of man is he?  For me, his overwhelming quality was what could be called stoicism, or his even-manner.  Grandpa was not one who wore his emotions on his sleeve.  The highs never got too big and the lows too low.  He was very even keeled.  That is not to say that he was emotionless though.  When he was proud of you, he would get a half smile, nod his head and get a tear in his eye.  His love for his wife, children and grandchildren guided his life every step of the way. You could say that his emotions ran deep and pure, greater than what could be outwardly expressed in his mild-mannered way.

He was a committed volunteer.  Grandpa not only loved his kids but loved his kid’s friends.  He coached Little League at Del Rosa Little League for 20 years.  I heard testimony yesterday from one of the moms whose boys played for Grandpa and she still remembers the time he invested in them, not only teaching them baseball but building character, loyalty and courage in their lives.  I learned from him that when I have a passion for something, I need to do it with to the best of my abilities and spread the passion to those around, touching their lives, helping them grow.  I am still involved in Little League because my grandpa believed in Little League.  I am involved with the community because he helped his be a better place.

Grandpa was a provider. Some people show their love to others by giving gifts, others by saying “I love you.”  Grandpa showed his love by providing for the needs of his family.  He worked for 35 years at Norton Air Force Base in a job many would not consider glamorous but he did his job and did it well.  When raising five kids in a small house required more than his day job paid, he found a way to make it work through teaching himself small appliance repair.  Even this was more than just earning a buck though, it was to help out those in need even if they couldn’t pay.

Grandpa was hospitable.  Growing up, I always thought it was strange when we visited Grandpa’s house that my dad would walk up to the front door, check the mail box, and then walk right in.  That wasn’t what I was taught about other people’s houses but it was appropriate here because Grandpa’s house was the family’s house.  Even though my dad had moved away, got married, and had 3 kids, the door was always open on Holly Vista for a visit, a quick peak in the refrigerator, and a chance to sit, talk, watch some TV where apparently I took my dad’s place as the remote control, and be with grandma and grandpa.  Holidays were always a major event where the families got together, the adults talked inside and us cousins would go entertain ourselves outside, trying not to get caught and get in trouble.  Grandpa’s house was comfortable and safe – a place where we could go and slow down, enjoy life, and be family.

Grandpa was a team player.  One of his favorite pastimes was bowling.  Grandpa was a fantastic bowler yet the team was always most important to him.  If the team needed him to throw a strike, he threw a strike.  If they needed him to throw a spare or miss a few pins to keep the team handicap down, he would do whatever was needed.  He was so good that other teams thought they brought in a ringer, a retired professional to guarantee they would win – which his team did. A lot.  He never tried to be the superstar but because he was such a great team player, he was. 

Grandpa was loyal and committed.  He was a man of integrity who kept his word and taught that quality to his children.  This was best demonstrated by his marriage.  He was married to Grandma for 49 years, through years of illness and hospitalizations, yet he stayed by Grandma’s side through everything.  I remember writing to my grandma when I was in the Navy and she would brag about how great Grandpa was and how much she loved him.  His love brought her comfort through the painful times.  His example guides me still as there are always family issues but running away is never an option – Grandpa would stick it through.

One of the last things my grandfather said to me was that he was going to beat me up for smiling.  Not quite as good as Amanda’s story yesterday.  The last few years have been hard for us as many of the qualities we loved about grandpa started to fade but his strength, his loyalty and his love continued to shine through.  Now that he has shuffled off this mortal coil, the pain is gone.  The disabilities have ceased.  I’d like to think that as Grandpa enters Heaven, Jesus is there to greet him with a half-smile, a nod of the head and a tear in his eye and welcomes him into his rest.  I look forward to the day when I will meet him again in joy.

The Annual Birthday Post, Edition 38

Another year down.  I am now 38.  Let's go over what has happened since last year.  Here's the list from last year's blog.

1. Be a better dad. Less computer time, more reading time.
2. Finish my BA. Find the money to do so.
3. Get that Challenger program up and running with Steve Bailey up at North Rialto.
4. Get involved with Children's Ministry.
5. Be a better umpire. Go to umpire school.
6. Go see Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dream Coat live.
7. Stop procrastinating, some.

Updates:

1.  I don't think I have done much better with this one although it may be minor steps.  Trina and I just watched a pretty compelling documentary about how the church has usurped the responsibility for the spiritual development of the family away from the dad and how the church, through youth ministry/children's ministry, should be equipping the dad in his God-given responsibility.  Pretty convicting on two parts -- 1. Am I that dad taking responsibility at home and 2. Am I hurting the family by doing what I do at the church?  I had a lot of kids that I have loved over the years and have tried to help them build that relationship with Christ but towards the end, I always believed that the family should have been the first line of discipleship.  More on that in 4.
2.  Well, Trina is actually working on her B.A. right now through online courses through CBU and I have to say, I think I could do that.  It would have to be after she finished but seeing her do it is encouraging to me because I have always been better at the school thing (test taking, writing papers, stuff like that.)  She is better on the motivation thing though so she'll have to keep me on task.
3.  North Rialto fell through.  Completely.  My dream is still to start a program in central Rialto for the district but it is back burner.
4.  Get involved with Children's Ministry:  I was asked if I would step up and be the Children's director this year.  After much prayer and discussion with my wife, I had to turn it down.  There were two reasons that I gave -- 1. We live too far away to really do it justice and 2. I can't give it the time it deserves with the rest of my schedule.  I don't think it really came to the surface until Trina and I watched that documentary -- I don't know if I agree with Children's ministry in the status quo.  That may be why I have been burned out for a while -- trying to push through something that I have not really believed in for a while.  If our church really started moving the way towards family ministry, I could really see myself getting back involved in a major way.
5.  I went to umpire school.  I had a blast.  I was sore beyond all ends.  I did a lot of baseball games this year.  Trina and the kids took a cross country trip in June and I umped almost the entire time they were gone.  I really enjoyed it. Looking back on 38 years, I only say that I should have started umpiring sooner.  A couple of days ago I put in an application to do the Intermediate Division Western Regional tournament.  This is the new division in Little League where the mound is 50 feet away from home and the bases are 70 feet away (as opposed to 46/60 in majors or 60.6/90 for the big diamond.)  This is the inaugural season of the 50/70 division so I am expecting a lot of people to apply for it but you never know.  I don't even know where the tournament will be held.  It would be quite the privilege to do it though.
6.  Haven't seen it playing anywhere yet.
7.  I got this done on time.  That's a start.  I am doing better in several places though, when it really matters to me.

Some new stuff from the past year:
1.  Five Iron Frenzy got back together.  That is amazing.  They are like my favorite band and I had the chance to see them twice this year, two days apart from each other.  This was during the family roadtrip that I was not able to go on.  The concert on Friday was at the Glass House in Pomona.  Their second concert back.  It was good.  The concert on Sunday was at the House of Blues down in San Diego.  Fourth concert back.  It was the absolute best concert that I have ever been to.  It was like karaoke night with Reese Roper all night long and I had a blast.  Don't tell my wife.
2.  Netflix is amazing.  Trina and I have sat together and watched quite a few shows together.  Star Trek: TNG, Doctor Who, Merlin, etc.  I have really taken a liking to British shows.
3.  We had some new employees in our office that I consider more than co-workers. It's nice to work with some people who I can invest my life in and who invest their lives in me.

So some goals:
1.  To be a better umpire.  I need to work on game management this year.
2.  Be a better dad.  While I am becoming a better umpire, do not let my family fall by the wayside.
3.  Read more.

Well, happy birthday to me.

Some thoughts from this weekend

This may have been a life-changing weekend for me.

It’s not every day that something like that comes out of my mouth (or in this case, my fingers.)  I am a pretty mellow guy, flowing with the go, never high nor low.  So what happened this weekend that has me thinking?

It started off Friday.  I had the opportunity to conduct a wedding for Beth and Samuel.  Beth is someone I work with and someone I really enjoy talking to and knowing.  Samuel was her fiancé from Africa.  I had the opportunity to talk to them 2 weeks ago about marriage and how the ceremony was going to go… a small pre-marital counseling session.  Samuel was shy but when he got more comfortable, he talked his fair share.

Anyway, Friday night we went to the place where the wedding was going to be.  I got off of work at 3:30 to make sure I got there on time and I did.  In fact, I was the first one there.  I walked around and made sure everything was set up (which we did most of the night before at the walk-through.)  They did a great job setting it up.

The wedding went off well.  I felt comfortable – I also had the entire “sermonette” written so that I would not say, “Um” or try to adlib which I tend to do and chase rabbits.  What really got me was the collection of people who were there.  Beth has always been a bit eccentric and has a very interesting past.  She has made friends in each of these past lives (the best way to put it as these are different time periods in her life where she grew and changed from never to be there again) and even though she is not part of those scenes anymore, the lives she touched there are still impacted for their betterment.

While she is not a “big fan” of Jesus (probably because of the shortcomings of the church), I am sure that Jesus would be pleased if my circle of influence and my friends included everyone that is in Beth’s circle.  The people who showed up to her wedding are what I picture as the people who gathered around Jesus because He didn’t judge them.  He loved them and welcomed them, allowing His goodness rub off on them instead of bickering and demanding they change like we are so accustomed to today.  He never recommended the sin but neither did he condemn the person, instead showering them with love because they deserve love, if not even more than at least as much as the ones “too good” for this group.

It was a good time.

Saturday morning I am part of what is called the “Challenger Program” for Little League Baseball at a baseball park out in Alta Loma (about 25 minutes from where I live.) It is also where I umpire.  This program has kids with special needs and helps them play baseball, learning the character, loyalty and courage that the “normal” kids pick up playing in the other divisions.  It is a great day each Saturday and I wouldn’t trade it in for the world.  My son is in the younger division of Challengers and plays each week at 9 am.  After the morning session, one of the other board members (yes, I’m on the board too) told me that our league president, Bill, had passed away that morning.

This is my third season at Alta Loma and Bill has been away this entire season thus far due to illness, so I got to know him over two seasons.  Bill was an older gentleman but approachable and never a cross word passed his lips.  He was the type of person who welcomed you like you were a dear friend for the last 25 years and he was glad to see you.  I had many opportunities just to sit next to him while waiting for a game and just talk about baseball, life, and everything else.  A Little League takes the personality of its league president and Alta Loma is a great place to work because it has his gentle spirit.  I am going to miss him.  What I will miss most is his welcoming voice and smile making me feel like I belonged with my good friend.

This makes me think, compounded by the group of people at Beth’s wedding, what is going to be said about me?  Am I as welcoming to everyone, makes them know that someone cares about them?  My introverted-ness is no excuse as people don’t care about how shy you are –  they care that you care for them.

Saturday afternoon we had the older division of the Challenger program play.  These are people, ages 11-25, with special needs and the game is fun and inspiring.  I got to umpire the game – more of a symbolic thing than actually umpiring.  There are a few kids that make me cry whenever they play, Joseph in his wheel chair with his huge smile as he flies around the bases; Mario as he scoots down to first using only his arms, turning around and “moonwalking” halfway down the line with great joy.  All these young adults just love to play and be part of something normal.  Do I make these kids feel as my life-long friends?  They are special, not just special needs, but people who Jesus would hang out with too. 

Sunday morning was a little hard.  I have spent the last month in Children’s Church and our theme has been, “Jesus the Superhero.”  This week’s lesson was about how Jesus is stronger than death.  With Bill passing away the day before, this lesson hit home.  Ron, one of my puppets, a habitual exaggerator, had his goldfish die this week.  It ended up being funny but it hit close.  How jaded is my love for my fellow human being right now?  This week has been a wake-up call that I need to stop going through the motions and get on board with what I am called to do.

This morning, I went to work and can’t help but think that stamping my name on thousands of pages, doing student attendance, and answering phones really isn’t my calling. I knew that already, but I need to start working to be in the people business, not in the paper business.

Earlston Edgar Dale - 1931 - 2011

This weekend, I went up to Napa for my grandfather's funeral.  He died on December 23.  It was a rough year for my mom as her mom died in March and her dad in December.  We spend the weekend (weekend being Wednesday-Sunday morning) with my step-grandmother.  She was a great host -- very gracious and accommodating. Well, Saturday was memorial service and I was asked to coordinate a memorial service for him.  It went very well.  I'm going to post the eulogy here for your reading remembrance.  Let's just say that I am drained -- emotionally, physically from the drive up and back, and mentally from being an extrovert for so long yesterday.  I'm just not an extrovert.

It was nice to see family I haven't seen in a while though.

My eulogy for my grandfather, Earlston Edgar Dale:

Part 1 -- Welcome statement:
Today we are gathered here to celebrate the life of Earl Dale. I wanted to start off with a story he once told me about my mother.
It was summer of 1962. The kids were out of school and grandpa was at work. He received a call from home that day. It was my mom. She was 6 years old at the time and loved doing puzzles. Well, he said that she was hysterically crying on the other end of the phone call. “What’s wrong, honey?”
“Daddy, I’m smart, right?”
“Yes dear. What’s wrong?”
“Daddy, I’ve been working on this puzzle for an hour now and I haven’t been able to put two pieces
together.”
“What is it a picture of?”
“It’s a lion.”
“Well honey, keep working on it and I’ll help you out when I get home.”
Well, the day progressed as normal at work. When grandpa got home, there on the coffee table laid
the puzzle, no two pieces put together. My mom sat there with tears in her eyes. With a chuckle, he
walked over and picked up the box.
“Audrey, first, this is a lion, not a tiger. And now, would you please put the cereal back in the box.”

Earlston E. Dale, born Sept. 25, 1931, in Sugarette, N.M., passed away Friday, Dec. 23, 2011. He was 80.

Earlston worked for 35 years in the California State Mental Health System. He was a founding member of the California Association of Psychiatric Technicians (CAPT), serving as their first union president. His hobbies included gardening and bingo. Earl was funny, gregarious and full of joy. He owned more than 350 crazy hats and had a joke for everyone.

Earl is survived by his loving wife, Roz, whom he married on March 17, 1992; his sister, Marci
Dale Lockhart, his children, Stephen W. Dale, Concord, Calif., Kenneth D. Dale, Reno, Nev., Audrey
L. Escarzaga, Hemet, Calif., and Nina S. Jones, Sequim, Wash.; 10 grandchildren; and 19 great-
grandchildren.

He was preceded in death by his daughter, Ruthmarie Dale, and parents, Walter and Lita Dale.

-----------------------------------------

Part II: The Eulogy:

I was thinking of where I wanted to focus on in giving the eulogy for my
grandfather. How do you come up with some sort of semi-comprehensive speech
about the life of a man so complex and rich in personality without writing books
or spending days in conversation with those who love him best? Looking through
yearbooks and old pictures of him, it is safe to say that he marched to his own
rhythm. He played trombone. He loved a good joke. He was a great writer. He
loved silly hats. He loved to make those around him laugh. He looked snazzy in a
bow tie. He loved bingo, dancing and football. He loved to talk with anyone who
would give him the time of day and even those who wouldn’t.
If we look back on his life, you can see what was important to him by where he
invested his life. Grandpa was quite the investor.
He invested in the enjoyment of others. His silly hats and his jokes are
legendary. Grandpa always was ready with a smile and a story, sometime
true. Grandpa would say the way to remember a joke was to tell it to everyone
you met that day. He not only said it, he lived it. If you spent a day with him, you
would know the joke too.
I was talking to my kids about my grandfather and they remembered being able
to go into his hat room and play. It was a great time for them. While he collected
the hats, they never lost their original intent. The enjoyment was more important
than the items. He lived his life in that simple joy of watching others enjoy life.
He invested in people who could not invest in themselves. The Apostle Paul wrote
in 1 Corinthians, “Praise the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father
of mercies and the God of all comfort. He comforts us in all our affliction, so that
we may be able to comfort those who are in any kind of affliction, through the
comfort we ourselves receive from God.” Grandpa worked 35 years for Mental
Health system. He worked as a psych tech, taking care of people in their greatest
time of need. This job took him from San Jose to San Bernardino, then to Sierra
County where he was the entire Mental Health Department. The story goes that
he was once reported to Patient’s Rights because he made one patient laugh so
hard from his jokes that she busted a stitch from a recent surgery. Not only did he
make them laugh, he took good care of them to where they would trust him before
anyone else.
He invested in his co-workers. Grandpa made sure that his people were taken
care of, being instrumental in the formation of the union to take care of Psych
Techs throughout the state. He served as the first president of the union, then as
the steward for years. His nature of talking served him well in this investment
– when management saw Earl Dale coming, wearing his derby, they knew
something was wrong and that he was there to fix it.
He invested in his family. Early in his family life, Grandpa was known to work
three jobs to make ends meet – having 5 kids with bottomless stomachs. But all
this time on the job did not stop him from knowing his family. On trips to sell
Fuller Brushes, he would often take one of the kids with him, traveling from house
to house. The kid would spend the day in the car as Grandpa went door to door
selling brushes. It was time fondly remembered.
When he learned that he was going to be a great-grandfather, he put together
a complete family history spanning generations, to make sure that the future
generations would remember those who came before. He passed on his qualities
to his children and grandchildren. I stand before you today an example of what he
passed on – not just his receding hairline, his tastes in bad jokes and an ungodly
amount of body hair in places that it doesn’t belong, but in his love for life, his love
for people, and his love for his family. Earl Dale’s life on this Earth ended too soon
but is a life well-lived. I can imagine Grandpa walking the streets of gold today
with Jesus chuckling, saying, “tell me that one about Andy again. That one never
gets old.” May he rest in peace.

------------------------

We buried Grandpa's ashes in a park in Napa right behind the State Hospital where he worked for so many years.  He was buried with his favorite derby hat.

The annual birthday post

Sure, it's a few days away but I've got to ask, do these 37 years make me look old. Man, I'm going to be 37.

What's happening?

Micah, my son, just turned 10.

That is scary enough. I guess I started thinking a couple of weeks ago about how I am going to be 37. In my mind, I never figured I'd make it to 74, so I thought about how I may be half way done with my life. Yeah, pleasant thought. So I started to think of all the things I've wanted to do before my time was done. This was the list I came up with on Facebook:
1. Be a better dad. Less computer time, more reading time.
2. Finish my BA. Find the money to do so.
3. Get that Challenger program up and running with Steve Bailey up at North Rialto.
4. Get involved with Children's Ministry.
5. Be a better umpire. Go to umpire school.
6. Go see Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dream Coat live.
7. Stop procrastinating, some.

I've since added one more in my head -- Take part in National Novel Month. I have a story in my head. I have the outline. I told the story to my kids last year at Christmas and they enjoyed it. So I have been starting to do some research to give some legitimacy to the novel. They say outlines and notes are encouraged. They don't want the story already told though. My problem is the story is a familiar one taken from a different view so the ending is known already. The journey is going to be the adventure.

#1-- I have been working on it. I am still not as successful as I want to be but I have been working on it. It is better and always on my mind.
#2 -- Haven't started looking at it yet.
#3 -- I started making calls today. Talked to Western Regional. Talked to the city of Colton. Looked at a map for some fields and have some ideas. Our original idea of Rialto Western isn't going to work since Rialto Pony uses the field now. Saw a couple places in Rialto and Bloomington which may be appropriate also.
#4 -- I'm working at it. I'm teaching Sunday School. This Sunday, I am doing a baptism at our church for one of the kids in my Sunday School class -- the first baptism at our church since our family has been going. I was really surprised when Pastor Albert asked me if I would do it. Really, really surprised. But really happy too. I'm looking at the doors that God is opening at Palm and outside of Palm, especially with the Little League stuff -- a chance to meet people who need to know Jesus and an opportunity for me to be that example.
#5 -- I signed up for umpire school, February 11-17, 2012. Looking forward to in immensely. I am really going to have to start a workout program so I am in umpire shape in February instead of waiting until the new season and getting into umpire shape 3-4 weeks in.
#6 -- Haven't really looked into it. If it comes up somewhere, I'll look into it but it's not really a high priority right now.
#7 -- I'm working on it... mostly tomorrow.
So #8 is the novel. I'm thinking and reading and researching. November should be a fun month.

I've also joined the church softball team. We had a double header on Sunday night after AWANA. Getting to know a bunch of the guys at church in a different way. It was interesting though. I haven't played softball since I worked at Safelite some 10 years ago. I wasn't very good. So I wasn't expecting much on Sunday. Well, I ended up going 8-9 in the double header (the one out was the last out of the second game.) I played a pretty decent first base. One of my hits was a bomb to dead center that went over people's heads (second game.) From then on, they were scooting everyone back when I came to bat, so I sprayed the ball to the games, mainly on the right side of the field. It was fun. I should have had a triple on that blast but I'm not in umpire shape, much less run out a triple on a blast shape, so I made it halfway to third and turned around to get a double. At one point I slid into second quite ugly and scrapped up my calf and knee. The field burn is quite ugly. Like I said, though, I am not in softball shape so I have been sore for 2 days now. Have to start stretching and getting into better shape. Let's make that one #9.

Am I doing too much at one time? Probably, but I feel that I need to make up for lost time, that these aren't just my dreams that I concocted on my own but feel they are passions and desires that are God-given and will bring Him glory. That I must keep in mind when striving for any dream (thanks Doug.)

So, 37. Yeah, I'm getting years. I'm no spring chicken, but as a wise man once said, youth and exuberance is no match for age and treachery. Time to treacher on.

Dear Girl Scouts,

An open letter to the Girl Scouts Council of San Gorgonio, (As I don't know if the same thing happens in other councils, but I'm suspecting it does as money and power make many people drunk,)
I am sad to inform you that my wife and I have decided that your organization is not the right place for our daughter to be a part of.  This decision comes with a heavy heart but one clear and free of impulsive emotions.  I wanted to let you know why we have come to this decision.
There are many things that my daughter has learned from Girl Scouts.  She has learned that hard work can earn her rewards.  She has learned that there are people out there who do care about her outside of her parents.  She has learned how to be part of a group and what it takes to do what is right for the better of the group.
She has also learned that there are parents out there who will lie and cheat to make sure that their daughter gets ahead, no matter what it costs others.  She has learned that sometimes bad people get away with being evil because no one with power really cares except to cover their own backside.  She has learned that people are mean.  She has learned that people only care about themselves too much of the time, no matter if it hurts other people.  She has learned that it is good to question authority because the authority doesn't matter and only her desires are what matters.
I thank God that my wife and I are there to intercept and correct some of the things she has learned from your organization. 
My wife has given so much of herself over the last 6 months that she has been the leader of this troop that should have been dissolved with the former administration with insufficient support from the local council.   She has jumped through hoops to do what was demanded.  She has battled with MS to make sure that the girls came out on top.  She has sat back and taken abuse from spoiled, disrespectful parents who were looking out only for themselves and their daughters, teaching my daughter that sometimes it is better to do what is best for the whole than for the one.
My daughter is heartbroken about this decision but we, as her parents, feel it is better for her to suffer a little heartbreak now than to have to deal with the heartbreak of learning that there are people out there that really don't care about her and would stomp on her just to make sure that their daughter, their power or their position are protected. 
I have attached a picture of my car that was burned after it was stolen.  I hope this is sufficient evidence that it was indeed stolen (along with the police report that she turned into you).  I expect your written apology soon for accusing her that we lied about the theft of my vehicle, with enclosed Girl Scout paperwork.  Your handling of this situation really left a lot to be desired in personal relations.
I wish you the best and pray that one day someone will do what is best for the girls instead of what is best for cookie sales and the bottom line.
Tony

The Death of Osama

I know my opinion about the death of Osama Bin Laden means very little to anyone but me but I'm going to put it out there anyways.

I don't know what to feel about this. I am torn between the patriotic feelings of our country getting justice against a man who did an ultimate evil against our citizens. I am glad that those who lost loved ones can feel a little bit of closure.

My initial feeling though was that people were going to feel vindicated, that people were going to get drunk of the wine of revenge. He took 3000+ of ours in one shot, more soldiers since that day and now has "gotten his."

Ultimately, my initial reaction was that here was a man that everyone hated and wanted dead but one that God loved, despite his sin, and that he now has to answer for what he did, not for killing so many people, but for what he did with God's love and His Son. He has led so many astray, children, men and women. He has funded hatred for so long.

His death may have closed a chapter but a war is not done yet. This may re-energize those who have been in hiding for so long. "Martyrs" tend to do that. I pray that our government will do it's one job well -- to protect her people from foreign threat.

I don't feel peace from this, nor do I feel additional terror. I have peace despite it -- yesterday the same as tomorrow.