Let’s Just Self-Reflect Today…

Today is a good day to take the time to do a little self-reflection, especially for those of us who live in Charleston, S.C.  On this evening, four years ago was a moment in time that most of us will never forget.  It was this very evening that murderer, Dylann Roof walked into a bible study in Mother Emanuel Church and murdered nine members of the church who were there to fellowship.

Rev. Clementa Pinckney (41), Cynthia Hurd (54), Rev. Sharonda Coleman-Singleton (45), Tywanza Sanders (26), Ethel Lance (70), Susie Jackson (87), Depayne Middleton Doctor (49), Rev. Daniel Simmons (74), Myra Thompson (59).

Most of us remember this day.  We remember what we were doing, hearing and seeing as news of the massacre spread through the area like wildfire.  Text messages, phone calls, what we thought were rumors of people being killed in a church had us like – What! A Church? Thinking that what we were hearing was false or exaggerated information, but, it was true. Then what slowly started as shock, turned to rage for many of us as we saw the murderer on surveillance video entering and leaving the church, and wondered how in the world did he even make it out of South Carolina.  Then that rage built into an unmatched fury as we saw the police with Roof in handcuffs – after they got him a meal at a Burger King because he had not eaten. Citizens poured into the streets of downtown Charleston – some ready to do something, some just to stare at the Mother Emanuel Church only imagining what just took place.

Today we reflect, on that day, on those who lost their lives, on Polly Sheppard, Felicia Sanders, and her 11 year old granddaughter who survived. Today, let’s take a moment to simply reflect instead of being busy, this is a perfect way to spend this 4^th anniversary of the Emanuel 9 massacre.

We don’t often spend enough time simply being still and reflecting on what was, what is, and what is to come.  Many of us may practice this at the end of the year, before the beginning of a new year, but most of our time is spent running from place to place, or so busy trying to look important on social media, we miss the opportunity to simply spend time being still and reflecting.  Today, we are encouraging those who will spend this day remembering the Emanuel 9 tragedy to use this moment as an opportunity for some self-reflection; use this moment to turn tragedy into something positive.

According to researchers, self-reflection creates self-awareness, and a way to actually understand what is going on inside/within ourselves. Self-reflection can help in many ways:

• To make sense of things. No, there is no way to make sense of what happened during the Emanuel 9 Tragedy, we understand it was pure evil.  However, can you take this tragedy and understand how precious life is?  In a moment, something  can happen, take this time to appreciate the life you’ve been given and what you can do with it.
• Uncover Breakthrough. During times of self-reflection, many people have found solutions to some of the problems they’ve been battling in their minds. The Emanuel 9 massacre led to a moment of self-reflection for many citizens in this state – which then led to the end of the Confederate Flag hanging over the State House.  Also, you don’t see as many Confederate Flags on cars  – at least not as many as we use to.  Use this day to uncover some breakthroughs in your own life.
• Challenge Your Thoughts. This can be a very dark day for many of us. This day can lead some of us to focus on the extreme racism that we deal with, especially here in the South.  Today, we encourage everyone to challenge our own ways of thinking, and let’s not just focus on the bad things that happened. Each member of Emanuel who lost their life left behind great memories and stories. Reflect on some of their stories today.  No, we are not pretending that evil doesn’t exist; we know this for sure.  However, during this period of self-reflection let’s focus on some goodness.
• Recognize Change & Track Progress. Again, during this time of self-reflection we are focusing on life and the appreciation of life. What are some things you’ve done to improve your own life? How far have you come?  How much has changed?  If nothing has changed, what can you do to make those changes?  9 people will never get a chance to have this type of reflection here on Earth, but you can – and you can do this right now.  Recognize what you can improve, write it down, and track the improvements.
• Increase Self Awareness. Reflect on where you are right now, because without this we can’t fully appreciate where we are, who we are, and every experience that has taken place in our lives. On this anniversary of the Emanuel 9, so much has happened in this country – we understand that hate and racism exist, but we also understand the fight against this type of credence has gotten bolder and more fierce. Understand how this tragedy has changed you for the better (or worse), and how does this help getting you where you need to be.
• Live With More Intention. If nothing else can be learned from the Emanuel tragedy, it should have caused us to understand the importance of how we are moving in our current life. If your days are a blur, if you’re not accomplishing anything, if you’re constantly saying you’re going to do something and not doing it, if you’re constantly breaking promises to yourself – stop. Today is the day to reflect on how you can add more joy and purpose to your life.

Again, we are grateful for the lives of each victim of the Emanuel 9 tragedy.  Their lives cause us to take a second look at our own lives, and we are blessed to have that opportunity.  Wishing you all peace that surpasses all understanding on this day, and continue to say their names; Rev. Clementa Pinckney (41), Cynthia Hurd (54), Rev. Sharonda Coleman-Singleton (45), Tywanza Sanders (26), Ethel Lance (70), Susie Jackson (87), Depayne Middleton Doctor (49), Rev. Daniel Simmons (74), Myra Thompson (59).