Friday is generally a social media free day for my hubby & I. It's his day off & we want to spend it together. Being out & about yesterday (a Friday), we were completely oblivious to the horrendous & vile situation that was happening...
Imagine our shock as we got home, settled in & discovered that there was yet another shooting. I mean, how many do there need to be? My answer is, "Absolutely none!" But that's not how things have been happening in the last few months. But this one was even worse. This one involved children...a lot of children...
Watching the news as moment-by-moment updates were coming in surrounding the situation at Sandy Hook Elementary in Connecticut, we just sat there stunned & shaken. We were speechless as tears filled our eyes & streamed down our cheeks as live feeds were being shown from the scene outside the school.
As parents watching this madness & sadness, my heart was breaking & aching for the families, the school, the entire community & the nation while all of this was unfolding...the helplessness of the parents there. The children who survived were being carried by their parents, or escorted in blankets or coats while being clutched & coddled. I can't even imagine.
Then there were the reports of the numbers lost: last I heard, there were 27...and 20 of them were children. Just wow...20 kids under the age of 10 were taken from their families for no good reason. Right before (and during) the holidays. I cannot even imagine what emotions this will drone up in these families & in that community, as well as extended communities.
A huge, senseless tragedy happened yesterday. All we wanted was to get our own children home from school to just hug them...a lot. We had to step away from the house, and Teen Girl beat us home. As soon as we got back to the house, we headed directly to her room, and just hugged her. My emotions got the best of me & I just cried while holding her. She was weirded out, but understood. They did talk about it a bit at their own school, but the understanding really wasn't there. And then we decided not to leave the house again until after Lil Guy got home & we could just make sure he was safe with us. We got him off the bus & hugged him so big. He didn't understand what was going on at all.
That was 2 of our kiddos home...Teen Boy was at a tournament...in another state. Of all days for him to be hundreds of miles away...it had to be now. *sigh* And he wasn't due home until anywhere from 2:30-4:00 AM the next morning. That's already a hard thing for a parent to have your kid in another far away place from you...but this was not the time (as it turned out) to have him so far. And we wouldn't see him for a long time (for us).
We get to love on our kiddos, we get to tell them we love them & how proud we are of them. 20 families of lost children won't be able to do that. They did not get to tuck their children into bed last night, they didn't have them in their beds to wake up today; the children did not get to come home to count their presents under the tree & speak loudly at dinner about their countdown to Christmas and what Santa is going to bring them.
We sit at home, only being able to witness the aftermath, trying to rationalize the why. What did yet another young adult male have brewing within him to feel the need to leave such a trail of bloodshed...and even more horrifyingly, in a kindergarten classroom? I can't imagine what his brother is going thru right now; he lost his parents & brother in an evil mess, all while being mistaken to be the assailant. I really...just...can't...even...imagine...
As hubby & I ran more errands yesterday afternoon, and after making sure our kiddos (well, 2 of them) were home & safe, we ran into a "staff member" at Lil Guy's school. I asked her about what was being brought up at our own school. She really hadn't been there much that day, but we discussed the fact that the would-be-killer would have been buzzed into the school...his mother worked there, so why would the staff ever question why he might be there. Even if she wasn't there that day, he may have come to pick something up for her or anything. Why would they have suspected he came in fully armed? They wouldn't have. And even with everyone being screened somehow before entering our own school's building, they would never have questioned a family member. Why would they?
I trust Lil Guy's school. I trust the high school of my other 2. This is a freak, senseless & horrible tragedy. I think about the little ones lost, as well as the principal & teachers. Hearing the sorts of heroics that came out of this mass shooting from teachers & other children is amazing to hear...and also so difficult...they never should have been forced into that situation. All those precious & innocent children witnessing such horror. Parents wouldn't even let them watch movies with this kind of plot so they would not have to deal with that in their young minds...and yet they had to live it.
And, as the same response from much of social media, after the movie theatre & mall tragedies, gun control posts immediately started going up; both on the "take them all away, " to "don't take my gun" posts. People, we lost innocent children & innocent lives yesterday, last week, and this past summer. There are people in deep mourning. Even though there was a gunman that took their lives, we need to focus our thoughts & prayers on those mourning. How dare any of you put up such disgusting political posts during this time. Tact & timing, people. Learn them. If that's where your brain went, and your typing & clicking fingers took over, you need to look into your hearts. How dehumanizing to throw that out there.
In the same light, President Obama made an incredible speech about this. He beautifully & emotionally delivered words so eloquently from the heart of a parent. If you were disgusted by anything he had to say, again, look into your hearts.
Our political thoughts should not be clouding our prayers & thoughts in this unspeakable outcome. Do I have thoughts about it? Yes I do. But, as a parent who's heart breaks for the families & the community in Connecticut, I pray diligently for your own healing. The emotional scars are deep, and may compassion come out of this situation as we all deal with this horrendous tragedy over this time of year. Or any time of year.
Put your nasty posts & political thoughts away, folks. Join hands & pray...this could have happened anywhere. Even your own community, your own school, to your own child. How's that for a wake up? Changes need to be made, folks...and not where you are encouraging the focus to be, either.
People, we need to stop, take pause, and pray/send positive energies & strengths to that place. And I would love to post my hubby's sermon sometime tomorrow for more beautiful words from a frustrated human who is a parent, and a pastor.
And...if you haven't already...hug your children, kiss them on the cheek &/or head, tell them you love them...and just love more & hate less overall. It's detrimental at this point...
As always...stay tuned...
God Bless, AM~Erica
Well said Erica. I think you said what needed to be brought out. Yes, we need to pray more and hug our children more and pray with them. Thanks.
ReplyDeleteJerry Adkisson.ver