Remembering

This past weekend was the 5th anniversary of the Pulse nightclub shooting in Orlando that killed 49 people and injured 68 others. We were meeting for Annual Conference that year too and ended up having a candlelight vigil outside the conference center one night - we took the boys to that. 

There were lots of events over the weekend in downtown to commemorate the occasion. I made my way on Sunday afternoon down to the Orange County History Center, next to the Orlando Library. They were offering free admission this weekend so that folks could view the Pulse anniversary exhibit. It was both beautiful and heartbreaking all at the same time. 

Then I drove over to Pulse itself. On the way I passed First UMC Orlando and was so pleased to see this sign on the side of their building. 

We've been to Pulse a few times in the last few years. Last year, I had a car accident right in front of it when I tried turning left into the Wendy's across the street. While Davis and I were waiting for the tow truck and Daryl, we got to watch a lot of people coming and going from the memorial. It has grown now and will soon be transformed into a national permanent memorial. While I was there, I had the privilege to talk with one of the survivors. He had come with some family members and was quietly describing to them what happened to him that night - he was shot multiple times and still bears scars and a limp.