To be honest, I am not sure I can put into words exactly why it speaks to me the way that it does, but there is something about how fragile Gabby looks, and how tenderly the President in holding her hand....
Anyhow my friend Loriah did a screen capture and sent this to me, so I thought I would share it with all of you, and invite you to share what the photo says to you. Perhaps in that way I will better understand my own response.
Our President is a class act,and Gabby is strength beyond words.Enough said.
ReplyDeleteCan't say. Too busy crying.
ReplyDelete.
ReplyDeleteI am still dealing with the trauma of agreeing with a Sarah Palin Tweet.
ReplyDelete@SarahPalinUSA
"McQueary was not a 'midget'. Was he afraid to 'break his polised nails' if he clocked Sandusky? Little Prissy Boy ran to Daddy FIRE HIM!"
Grace, and a deep devotion to the human spirit.
ReplyDeleteWell, Jesse, I know you are not a religious person, but it look like the President is praying for Gabby. With his gently hands touching her and his head slightly bow. Gabby open her eyes as he left the room.
ReplyDeleteHe is a very loving person, who really care and I believe she felt the love.
Oh, I see our President softly talking to his angels asking them to flush away her pain, to heal her back to where she was before the madman's gun pierced her innocence.
ReplyDeleteToo I see our President feeling Gabby's pain....
Oh, how I love Obama....
Pennies for your thoughts - I'd ask the President -
ReplyDeleteBut, I think he must have an incredible amount of thoughts & ideas running through his brain & emotions.
From how fragile life is, to his family, to this could very well be me, to God knows what else.
From how much he cares, to prayers for a speedy & safe recovery.
From how much power he has, to how much he depends upon others, to how little control he really does have.
Despite how simple life seems to be, to how complex it really is.
How contradictory life truly is, & no one knows how our life's stories will play out - no matter how much we plan, or how well we behave.
How difficult life is despite our individual & collective accomplishments.
It's a raw picture of raw emotion in such raw circumstances.
We all deserve a hug.
I understand Gryphen, to me it looks like he is healing her with his hands.
ReplyDeleteHe's praying for her in this picture and asking God to make her better. I say President Obama is a prayer warrior!
ReplyDeleteOur president is unafraid to face the horror of what was done because he knows that there is grace, strength and hope in Gabby, her family and all of us. He knows that we will overcome the worst that man is capable of. He knows that love, not hate, wins.
ReplyDeleteSayrah who. Lose that twitt and her brainless tweets.
ReplyDeleteHe is praying. He is praying for her, for her shooter and for our country. That is what he's doing in this photo.
ReplyDeleteWait a minute wasn't it palins dad that tried to protect some guy that got fired for protecting a child molester
ReplyDeleteHe is praying.
ReplyDeleteShe is healing.
That palin is so classy what about her role in gabby giffords shooting
ReplyDeleteIf I were completely helpless and my life were in grave danger, I would want someone with the strength, tenderness, and grace of Pres. Obama to be by my bedside. This photo is supremely comforting.
ReplyDeleteHe strikes me as bearing the apologies of a nation whose ideology has run amok.
ReplyDeleteDenise @ 1:07
ReplyDeleteWow, you are a gifted writer. I wish I could put emotions into words like that. Thank you.
the contrast between the pic of the gentle thoughtful caring Prez with Gabby relative to a still of $carah from her Blood Libel video has pure out and out evil exuding from the skank $carah.
ReplyDeleteEven more fitting from the $kanks BL video was that her pesky herpes virus was in full bloom.
Nasty fukin' skank bitch
Pure LOVE. And Love heals. We're SO blessed to have President Obama. Let's return the Love by giving him an . . .
ReplyDeleteObama Landslide in 2012!!!
Thanks for this, Gryphen. What a deeply-caring man you are to see the incredible LIGHT in this picture. Bless you.
Gryph, I wish you and all your other readers could've been with me at the University of Arizona stadium the night that President Obama came to speak. He had just come from Rep. Giffords' bedside and from meeting the families of the other victims. The pain the man wore was palpable. We all felt the same thing, and we were all in need of healing. That healing began with the roar of the crowd from the instant he walked in. The speech he gave that night was something I will never forget. They say that you "know" when you are in the midst of greatness. I knew it that night.
ReplyDeleteSuch a soulful picture. I don't have words. Should I ever need the comfort of a warm hand I hope it would be like that.
ReplyDeleteThe President is a gentle, caring man. How did we get so lucky?
ReplyDeletePresident Obama is a class act and so is his wife and so are the giffords!
ReplyDeleteI am an ICU nurse and I have seen first approaches to a trauma patient's side hundreds of times.
ReplyDeleteThat he could touch her and that he did touch her speaks volumes to me. Compassion, strength, courage and deep concern - that's what I see and understand.
This image also affected me deeply when I saw it here yesterday. I think it portrays two very strong people overwhelmed by humanity of us all and the things we cannot change. We can only count on inner strength and possibly cosmic intervention. The personal connection of their hands seems to show Obama trying to transmit his strength to her. It's a poignant and powerful moment.
ReplyDelete~physicsmom
What it says to me:
ReplyDeleteI will be here for you.
I will remember how brokenhearted for your family I am at this moment.
I will work harder than ever to implement the ideals you espoused to your beloved constituency.
I will conduct myself in such a way that I honor you with every word and deed.
I will make sure people that would put a literal target on your head are never, ever in positions of power again.
I will.
It sort of feels to me like we stumbled into a private room by mistake, catching one of those rare moments of personal connection between two people never intended to be caught on camera. I'm sure President Obama knew the camera was there - it's just how the photo makes me feel.
ReplyDeleteLike opening the door to a confessional before the other person is finished.
I am so grateful this gentle man is our president.
I see a caring, somber person (The President) beside someone helpless and fragile (Congresswoman Giffords).
ReplyDeleteAnd as we often do when we want to help someone but are not quite sure how, the President simply reaches out silent, heart-filled hands.
What Joan said "Grace" - and peace and hope and, and, and!!
ReplyDeleteI think any time we see someone in ER or intensive care with all the tubes and external life support, that there is something very disquieting about it.
ReplyDeleteMaybe it is the realization that the person's life is not really theirs to keep but for all that external inhuman intrusion.
Maybe it is the impersonalness of all the non living life support.
There is the relatively small mass of the stricken body in comparison to the totality of the apparatus that surrounds them. Visually they are the smaller part.
And of course there is both the conscious and unconscious realization that this person's life is seriously at risk, and that we can do little or nothing, and we are diminished by the realization that the life giving elements in the room are inhuman.
It is as though the sterility of the room is really what is threatening the patient. There is a Kafkaesque quality about it.
Or is it just that when we see death coming close to someone we assumed would always be in our lives, shows us just how brief and easily ended our own life really is. We are terrified in the face of our mortality.
and caring - that's almost a "duh", but it actually seems like he cares - I never saw that w/ GW.
ReplyDeleteAnonymous Anonymous said...
ReplyDelete1:16 PM
Please leave your Sarah dislikes in the parking lot.
That is not what this discussion is about.
Quite the opposite.
Spend a moment to contemplate the act of quiet caring.
He is definitely praying... NBC noted that the photo was taken while he was closing his eyes and saying a few words for Gabby.
ReplyDeleteAnonymous said...
ReplyDeleteI am still dealing with the trauma of agreeing with a Sarah Palin Tweet.
@SarahPalinUSA
"McQueary was not a 'midget'. Was he afraid to 'break his polised nails' if he clocked Sandusky? Little Prissy Boy ran to Daddy FIRE HIM!"
12:52 PM
---------------------------
If that is indeed a tweet from Palin, I am not impressed.
Again with her fixation on demeaning a male's masculinity/sexuality at any and every opportunity -- "afraid to break his polished nails", "Prissy Boy."
In my opinion, Sarah Palin and her assorted sexual dysfunctions/perversions have nothing to add to the Penn State story! (And yes, McQueary's lack of action and everyone else's up the line is to be thoroughly condemned).
I so love our President. I think he is praying for Gabby. Gabby's husband indicates in his new book that Sarah Palin did not send them any kind of best wishes for Gabby's recovery or expressed sorrow as to the shootings.
ReplyDeleteI'll blame Palin for this incident for as long as I live since she was the one that put the crosshairs on Gabby and her district. The instructions were there (put out by idiot Sarah) for someone to follow through with the likes of which we saw in this tragedy.
Bless Gabby and her husband and Sarah Palin, may you rot in hell.
And to get the taste out of mouth of thinking about Palin, I would like to say that that picture of our President is one of the most powerful that I have seen. And so many commenters have found such beautiful ways of describing it.
ReplyDeleteA lovely post and photo.
Human. That says it all. They are both so human and so good.
ReplyDeleteI Can See Barack Obama’s Second Term From My Kitchen Window
ReplyDeleteAnd so it goes. Mitt, Herm and Newt. Coming soon to a GOP field near you while intelligent, coherent, and experienced candidates like Jon Huntsman get ignored. I can see Barack Obama’s second term from my kitchen window.
http://www.politicususa.com/en/i-can-see-barack-obamas-second-term-from-my-kitchen-window
I tried to make this comment earlier, but I am not sure it made it through.
ReplyDeleteI think this picture transcends words, however what I see is a man who is praying or calling forth healing energy, thoughts for the young woman in the bed whose arm he tenderly holds. The fact that he is the President of the United States and she is a member of Congress is irrelevant. This is about touch, and about presence .. in the moment. What is wonderful for us is that we know that there is a happy ending after this happened. And I am sure, as sure as I am about my name and my being, that this action and that of others who prayed, and touched and who were there for her helped her be where she is today .. smiling and loving life. This is truly an awesome photo and I thank you for sharing it with us!
This picture reminds us that the human spirit also contains kindness, gentleness, and caring. Something we see so little of in our lives these days.
ReplyDeleteTo feel the import of this picture, let your mine envision one of the nine Rethuglikan Muppets vying for his job, or worse, McConnell or Boehner aside Gabby's bed.
ReplyDeleteIf that doesn't turn your stomach,
nothing will.
I tried to make this comment earlier, but I am not sure it made it through.
ReplyDeleteI think this picture transcends words, however what I see is a man who is praying or calling forth healing energy, thoughts for the young woman in the bed whose arm he tenderly holds. The fact that he is the President of the United States and she is a member of Congress is irrelevant. This is about touch, and about presence .. in the moment. What is wonderful for us is that we know that there is a happy ending after this happened. And I am sure, as sure as I am about my name and my being, that this action and that of others who prayed, and touched and who were there for her helped her be where she is today .. smiling and loving life. This is truly an awesome photo and I thank you for sharing it with us!
@ 12:52pm....YOU LIE...that is NOT a Tweet from that TWIT...here is her Twitter address for those who know how to fact check....Her last tweet is for the Vets....
ReplyDeletehttps://twitter.com/#!/SarahPalinUSA/statuses/135037792593002497
Oh god, that photo is devastating. Bless Gabby and bless Barack, two great ones for the ages.
ReplyDeleteCompassion.
ReplyDeleteAnd "stillness" . . . which silences all the noise; particularly that which arises from the bred hatred of the noisy minority which caused this tragedy.
Thank God for grace & mercy.
+++
To me his look says:
ReplyDeleteHow Could This Happen?
We (American's) have lost our compass.
I was haunted by this image as well, went back to look at it a few times and was in awe that this particular moment was captured. There are times when there are no words that can adequately describe what I am feeling, and this is one of those times. There is something deeply sacred, private, human, and profound about it.
ReplyDeleteI've been on both sides of this photo, and the power of touch is a bridge between the souls that gives both people strength. Not knowing what the future holds leaves the caregiver feeling helpless but hopeful.
On a brighter note, she and her amazing husband are on the cover of People Magazine, her resilliance and strength are evident in her smile. I can't wait to devour her book and learn more of this walking miracle and how she's progressing.
Thank You, Gryphen. This post is one of your best.
Criticism of comments about the quitter tea party queen at 3:21 I was responding to 12:52 who wrote in praise of a Sarah tweet. you twit.
ReplyDeleteOne word...
ReplyDeleteHope
(And, yes, it made me cry too.)
This is a true human being does when an affront like this takes place. One who calls up faith in a moment of horror, hoping, praying that person can be spared.
ReplyDeleteHope, change! Yes, we hope for a better America and change, Yes, being kinder to those in need.
On this same day, Mrs. Palin-she is not Gov. anymore, is airing her Blood libel, lookie me I am a victim bullshit. To not privately call the Giffords and wish them good outcome and recovery to Gabby's health-very unChrist like. She is pure evil.
The man just oozes calm and peace. What a difficult moment that must had have been for him knowing full well that the country is divided by those who hate him and call for his death and those who support him vs. some of us that believe that America is so much better than hate filled rhetoric. Love is the answer.
ReplyDeleteWhat a heavy load this man carries. And what dignity and compassion he carries out his duties with. I don't always agree with his policies but I do know that he has our back, all Americans.
I am not a religious person,more of a spiritual being having a human experience but I pray for his safety all the time. Never has a president been so targeted for death. And that is what makes this picture so much more powerful.
Sarah, if you are reading this, know full well that you are damned for all eternity. Spreading hate and putting up rifle sights do have consequences.
Anon: 12:52. Please, why disrupt this thread with that.
ReplyDeleteThis picture is the personification of what hate is capable of.
ReplyDeleteThis is the image of what crosshairs on a congressional district map can do.
This is the hate that the Republicans sell, but refuse to take ownership of.
This woman was TARGETED. Literally!! Yet, it is chocked up to a 'rogue' gunman.
People died. Gabby almost died. Where is the liability in this? Where is the ownership of the person who put crosshairs on Giffords Congressional district??? Where is the humanity for this woman by the Right????
They ignore this story because they don't want to take ownership of the hate they used to cause it. Sarah Palin literally TARGETED this woman with her evil crosshairs map.
The hate and evil that oozes out of Palin makes me want to fight even harder for what is good.
President Obama is definitely praying for her, and his prayers were heard and answered.
ReplyDeleteThank you Jesse, for posting the picture of President Obama and Gabby, and for also acknowledging me.
ReplyDeleteThe image is such a powerful one. I had the same visceral experience seeing it. It was like it leapt off the page with it's message of love. Just pure Love in the cosmic sense, that transcends all else and leaves us with a moment between two human beings, one fragile and compromised, one healthy and powerful, and yet deeply humbled by what he is witnessing.
There is no doubt in my mind that he is praying, he is calling upon all that IS and all that CAN BE to bring Gabby through this ordeal, to mend her, heal her, allow her to thrive again.
That he is touching her pulse is what is most poignant for me. The very place of life's pulse, the recognition of something we all share as long as it beats.
I truly believe that Barack Obama is a Light Being. One who is imbued with something divine and glorious that goes beyond any organized idea or belief. He is the real thing and it's what has always, from the first moment he came into my consciousness, made me trust him. The gentle power this man has is profound.
Loriah
I haven't read any comments yet, but I will.
ReplyDeleteI think this photo is very powerful! It shows the deep respect that Our Wonderful President has for all people!
President Obama is the REAL DEAL. Even if he were not President, I would still adore President Obama and his Beautiful Family.
He is just so kind...
I haven't read any comments yet, but I will.
ReplyDeleteI think this photo is very powerful! It shows the deep respect that Our Wonderful President has for all people!
President Obama is the REAL DEAL. Even if he were not President, I would still adore President Obama and his Beautiful Family.
He is just so kind...
Very touching photo.
ReplyDeleteIf only President Obama felt the same way about the elderly disabled people whose benefits he agrees with Congress on slashing: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/11/10/workers-comp-benefits-cut_n_1085185.html
If only President Obama felt the same way about the elderly who are on Medicare and Social Security instead of putting the programs that so many vulnerable people rely on for survival "on the table."
THAT'S how I feel about, Gryphen. President Obama's compassion is very selective - IF it's even genuine, considering all the American citizens that he uses for props in his speech but who his policies don't offer any REAL relief to.
Our President is a man filled with love.
ReplyDeleteAfter reading other articles, it appears that the police were in riot gear, not the protestors. I hope this won't happen in Portland. The mayor gave plenty of warning to clear the Portland camp, but the group in Berkeley knew from the beginning what the rules were.
ReplyDeleteYou are right about not feeding the trolls because i just caught using a Huff-po link caring lies that can be easily debunked.
ReplyDeleteWe see you Phil @9:44pm....SHOO...go back to your dead blog with your hatred....this isn't about YOU...you jealous old fart.
ReplyDeleteThe look on the President's face is so emotionally moving :,) It really symbolizes the shock and sadness that comes from an event like this. I'm appalled and ashamed that this extreme violent act will be overshadowed by the right's indignation at being blamed. I fear they'll do their best to make sure history does not remember this tragedy.
ReplyDeleteDespite the tragedy, however, Gabby Giffords' story is without a doubt one of the most inspirational I've heard.