Sorrow

I have several pictures of the kids with Santa and some other recent goings on around our house.  As much as I’d like to put them up today and write a jolly holiday post, I can’t.  I’ve had the 20 precious children from Newton, CT on my mind since yesterday afternoon.  I’m sure that many of you have also been thinking about the victims and their families whose lives have been devastated just 11 days before Christmas. 

When Brandon told me about the shooting it was the first I’d heard of it.  I was stunned.  An elementary school?  Who would go in and shoot up an elementary school?  How many kids did he just say?  I had the gut wrenching feeling of illness.  I pictured the precious faces of all the kids in Gavin’s class.  I thought of my little boy walking out of school in a line like the kids in Newtown yesterday, children who were absolutely terrified.  Then I hoped that my little boy would be one of the lucky ones making that walk when I realized that the number of children who died yesterday would wipe out his entire class.  Sick.  Sick is what I felt.  And then I felt sorrow.  I thought about the parents, the ones who weren’t reunited with their children because their children were lying inside that school building.  I thought of how it’s Christmas in 11 days and just like my kids, those children were eagerly awaiting Santa’s arrival.  Their parents were probably in the midst of preparing for Christmas and never in their most horrific nightmares thought their child would be killed in school.  School shootings don’t happen at elementary schools.  They happen at colleges and high schools, but certainly not elementary school.  Right?  Wrong.  The events that took place yesterday at Sandy Hook Elementary are proof that no one and no place is immune to such tragedy.    

Everyone has the same questions.  What is the motive for a person to shoot innocent children?  How can we process such a tragedy?  How do I explain this to my child and explain to him that he has to be careful in school just as he does anywhere else in the world?  What are we going to change to keep this from happening?  While this wound is raw and on the mind of lawmakers and citizens, now is not the time to draw abrupt conclusions.  People are answering with emotion and until they can look at facts and think with a clear head, legislation and policy shouldn’t be tossed around or decided upon.

The brutal truth in this world is that no one is completely safe anywhere.  Not at home, church, school, the movies, the mall, and the list goes on.  We can’t control everything in an attempt to protect our children, as much as we’d like to.  There are too many variables and unknowns for complete control over safety to be possible.  But, we can inform our children about how to stay safe.  We can examine our school safety plans and make suggestions.  We can ask questions and seek out help for those we know need it before they reach the point of disaster.          

This weekend is a sad one.  Across the country people are heartbroken.  Keep the families in your prayers, especially at this time of year when they should be joyful and infected with their children’s laughter, not devastated and empty.