Titanic Tragedy Reaches Century Mark

The 100th anniversary of the Titanic tragedy is happening.  On a chilly evening of April 14, 1912, the enormous vessel began slipping under the frigid North Atlantic waters after an unfortunate encounter with an iceberg.  The ocean completely consumed the vessel by early the following morning.  Only around 700 of the approximately 2200 on board were able to seek rescue on the way-too-few lifeboats available.  Those survivors could only watch as their fellow passengers and loved ones went under.

What is it that draws us to the Titanic?  What captivates us about this event?  Is it the number of lives lost?  If so, why aren't we drawn to the 1987 sinking of the ferry, Dona Paz, in the Philippines where over 4,000 lives were possibly lost?  The seafloors and lakebeds of the world are filled with sunken vessels; the Great Lakes are known as a literal graveyard of watercraft.  Yet, most of these wrecks remain vanished in the mist of history.  Could it be the riches, the jewels, the first-class paradise lost that draws us to this particular tragedy?


The word, paradise, may ring some bells; can such a thing truly be made by man?  One has to recall the rumored words proclaimed by one associated with White Star, the Titanic's ownership, "God can't sink this ship!"  Whether this sentence was actually stated prior to the sinking or not, there was solid overconfidence in the ships structure which gave it almost a Tower of Babel-feel.  Our Creator has eternal paradise on His mind and craves for all of us to be there, and it seems this challenge to His power and might could not be overlooked.  It also seems as if God made sure that recovery of the ship would be impossible.


Prior to its underwater discovery in 1987, a lot of folks held an almost romanticized mental picture of the Titanic laying on the ocean floor still intact as a single unit and only needed newer technology to bring it back to the surface.  This would have allowed it to definitely reclaim its unsinkable status.  Novelist Clive Cussler even had his diehard hero, Dirk Pitt, accomplish the feat in Raise the Titanic.  Pitt and his team were able to engineer and put together a large balloon-like structure inside the ship and simply fill it with air pushing the water out and bringing the ship up.  However, since the actual discovery and the sight of the Titanic in two large pieces with quite a debris field around it, the whole notion of simply raising it seems to have gone away.  The scene also seems to verify actual words spoken from survivors who said they saw the ship break in half before going under; why they weren't believed beforehand who knows.  It is as if God replied to man's challenge with this response, "I can sink this ship, and I'll rip it apart as well."  A piece seen at the Titanic Museum in Branson, Missouri states the ship is deteriorating at a rate that will most likely cause it to be a layer of residue on the ocean floor in another century.  The Creation seems to be reclaiming it rather rapidly.


Some might question why God took to this response; they ask why He was so cruel to allow this to happen.  They fail to see that our loving Father doesn't like doing this, just as a loving parent doesn't like having to discipline an arrogant child.  Humankind and its blunt challenge left God with no choice. He can't sit there and allow Himself to be mocked and yet still be able to draw people into His presence for security.  We want a powerful God, one invincible and unlimited; not one who won't stand up to bullying and taunting.  His solid strength and eternity are trademark characteristics that attracts folks.  A good reminder of how He feels about people having to die is seen through Christ; God hates death and destruction, yet unfortunately they have to exist for the time being.  As for technological advancements, this no way at all says we must stop advancing.  God wants us to develop and use our gifts and talents; just pray for His blessing of it and do not let it go to our heads.  Remember, it was He Who granted us with these abilities to create, just as He created.


In closing, the Titanic was literally a piece of floating class warfare.  The first class had all the luxeries; 2nd and 3rd class were barely seen as human.  However on that fateful night, they were all together on the same sinking ship.  Of course, mankind still hasn't learned much from it.  Today, we are still on a sinking vessel; this one is called Earth.  This isn't written from the perspective of a socialist or communist who seems thrilled with the idea of spreading the wealth; rather just an individual who sees a lot of potential for compassion going to waste.  This is something that can't be governed.  They say we study history to learn from it; however, with all this fascination on the Titanic, it doesn't seem we are learning the real lessons.  Do remember the victims of this tragedy, both the dead and the survivors; the absolute hopelessness they felt.  Let us maintain a more humble approach and do all we can to prevent as many tragedies as possible from happening again.

Titanic Museum:  Branson, Missouri
Taken by Joy Grace-Garma Leaming

Reposting and Adding to the Saint Patrick Info

This stuff is wonderful, even if I am a couple of days behind on it.  We finished up a wonderful St. Patrick's Day weekend, and I appreciate this day more and more with each passing year.  The green is such a wonderful change from both the winter chills and the red holidays prior.  Yet, the story of Patrick, the patron saint of Ireland is a great story as well.  I was able to research it and published it on Mended Heart two years ago, yet I feel the yearning for review and reposting of the nitty gritty part of that article and here it is below:

Patrick is given credit for being the one to spread Christianity to the Celtic tribes in Ireland during the A.D. 400s. This I do find to be interesting. Are there any other days in which we really take note and honor someone who spent their life spreading the good news of Christ? Irish legend credits him with using the shamrock, a three-leaved clover, to teach about the Holy Trinity.

Not much is really known about Saint Patrick, the kind of person he was, but it is believed he was at one point kidnapped from Britain by pirates and enslaved in Ireland to tend sheep. He escaped and went to France where he studied the new belief called Christianity. Then he returned to Ireland to spread the news of Christ, and seemed to have success converting the people over from pagan beliefs. I find it fascinating with all the references to shepherds in the Bible that Patrick himself went from tending sheep to really tending the flock on the seemingly beautiful island. While most experts agree other missionaries also visited the Emerald Isle, it is Patrick that stands out. Another piece of irony I find anyways is the battlefield this nation would later become as the believers would slaughter each other in the name of Christ as Catholics and Protestants. This madness was really what caused all of the tragedies in Irish history that is only beginning to calm a bit in recent years.

Another legend I deem a bit humorous just simply because I personally find that this particular spiritual gift would be a big help in my life is the one in which Patrick is credited with banishing snakes from Ireland and driving them to the sea. I can’t stand those crawly, slithery creatures. The experts though claim that post-glacial Ireland never had snakes to begin with, but I am one to say you never know about that.

As a kid, I always knew like everybody else that you needed to wear green to avoid being pinched. Certain years, I did try to play the game where you only wore you green underneath non-green clothing to fool those quick pinchers and allow you to pinch them ten times back (something like that). In all actuality, March 17 became St. Patrick’s Day because that is the day that he is believed to have died in the late 400s. The emerald color is worn due to the beautiful green hills of Ireland. The green has nothing to do with the fact it is spring, but I like to think it does.

A lot of times the little green men with their pot of gold gets blended into this day and in the Irish culture, plus also on Lucky Charms; yet Patrick did lead people to the truest wealth, a relationship with Christ.


To be honest, I really concluded my St. Patrick's Day observation today, so I'm not completely late.  This evening I started what may become a tradition with my dad after seeing his glowing reaction.  I brought him a Guinness and shared one with him while we visited, and it seemed to bring back great memories from his days at work as he and his favorite boss would also enjoy a Guinness or two at the end of each St. Pat's Day.  That was wonderful to see his excitement.


In conclusion, I will admit we have a little Irish blood, but we're mainly English in origin.  The fact Patrick was a born Brit gives me great comfort, yet I later learned the patron saint of England was George.  Wouldn't that be a cool holiday, or at least an observed day:  St. George's Day.  Who knows, England may already have one, I didn't look.  Any moment we can celebrate and honor these fellows who worked hard to spread the good message of Christ seems like a good use of the time.

Returning to the Scene

Mended Heart is returning, but with a little different attitude.  I had considered starting a new site called Misc-Etc, and I'd already written articles on it, but I transferred them back to this blog and I'll continue on here with the phrase "Misc-Etc" added.  Actually I haven't written much lately except for trying to keep up with my other project on Blogger this year, which is Life with a Camera Phone 2012.  It's going alright; I need to tweak it some more.  However, I do want to get going on here again, and let all my readers (ha!) know to be on the lookout for new entries as they should begin appearing here again.  Hopefully the time off has pointed me back in the right direction.  I needed it.