oloriel | In terra pax would be really nice right now

For a couple of years now, my parents have been taking a holiday trip to Berlin in December - my mother loves the Christmas markets, my dad the general bustle of the capital. So this has become a bit of a family tradition.

They came back home the day before yesterday.

This would be a completely irrelevant piece of information under normal circumstances, but as circumstances are not normal (or rather, I refuse to consider that "normal"), it has suddenly become a piece of information for which I am incredibly grateful.

It's interesting to observe, in that context, how my reaction to the news - which would normally be horror, and shock, and heartbreak for the victims and their families - is predominantly relief. To the extent that I have to actively tell myself to be shocked and heartbroken for the victims, but left to its own devices, my mind is just "well mom and dad are home safely so it needn't bother you". The personal always interferes with the big picture.
So I am, as bad as that sounds, more relieved than shocked. (I do tell myself that just because my parents are safe, sadly that doesn't make it any better for other people.)

I'm terrified of what this is going to do to the already toxic political climate in our country, though. >_>

Yeah, peace on earth would be appreciated.