Serenity Prayer -Cottonwood Tucson

Today is July 20, 2012. It is a day that will now be remembered for the mass shooting that took place in Aurora, Colorado, at the midnight premiere opening of the Batman movie The Dark Knight Rises. So now today becomes a day of prayer and reflection for the deceased, the physically injured, the families and friends who lost loved ones, the theater employees, the citizens of Aurora, the first responders, and all of those who will suffer long term effects from witnessing this traumatic event.

For our readers who do not know, Cottonwood is located in Tucson, Arizona, just about 890 miles from Aurora, Colorado. Arizona and Colorado are two of four states that share the famous Four Corner’s boundary, which is the only location in the United States where four states meet. Our staff and the citizens of Tucson know the pain of a mass shooting on a day when another young gunman opened fire on a group of people who had innocently come out for the occasion to meet with their congresswoman, Gabrielle Giffords. The day was January 8, 2011, six people were mortally wounded and 13 were critically injured including Congresswoman Giffords. Somehow all these months later our community is still working through our tragedy and together we thrive. 

Mass shootings in the United States have been part of our history over the decades. Almost invariably the shooter(s) are determined to suffer from mental disorders. They live amongst us and then one day they snap for no apparent reason, even though we often discover that they have planned their assault in great detail. The Aurora tragedy is still unfolding and will continue to do so over the next days, months and perhaps years.

Today we offer our prayers for all those impacted by this senseless tragedy, including the suspected gunman and his family. Here is a special prayer said daily by those in recovery.

God grant me the serenity
to accept the things I cannot change;
courage to change the things I can;
and wisdom to know the difference.