This morning probably started out like any other morning just a little over a week before Christmas for the families of children attending Sandy Hook Elementary in Newtown, Conn. Most likely their morning chatter included at least something about their Christmas wish list and Santa as they tried to stay on their very best behavior just in case he might be watching.
I doubt that any of those parents thought even in their wildest dreams as they said goodbye to their children this morning that it would be their last goodbye for 20 of those students and their parents. Mere kindergartners. But tonight the parents of 20 children from Sandy Hook Elementary joined our horrible group. Tonight the parents of 20 children are sitting at home numb yet not nearly numb enough, still trying to grasp the events that turned their world forever upside down today. " IS THIS REAL?" running through many of their minds. "THIS CAN'T POSSIBLY BE REAL" Staring at their Christmas tree and the presents under it thinking his or her presents are right there! He/she will come home any time now. Hoping and praying that their beloved child somehow was hiding or got away and just has been too scared to come out of hiding. That has to be it! Of course he will be home to open his Transformer Figures he wanted so badly on Christmas Morning! This simply can't be real. There will be no sleep for those parents tonight or for many nights to come.
How and when does their anguish end? I only wish I knew. I know their gut wrenching pain all to well though. Tonight I'm sure that it doesn't take having lost a child to join them in asking "why?" A question to which we will likely never know the answer. What could upset this young man so greatly to do such a horrendous thing? Why the children? Why did he have to shoot the children? Let's us not forget he was not long from a child himself! What could have happened in this young man's life that could cause such anger and or pain to lead him to take 28 lives including his own before 9:30am?
How will this effect this town? I hope they realize that the one blessing they have in all of this is each other. Although at the moment I'm sure that is of no consolation and might even sound callus but in time they will come to see the true blessing in it, because nobody else can honestly understand (Thank God) what they're going through except those who are also going through it. That's not to say that other's cannot be caring, understanding and supportive, just that the pain is so unique and deep that they can only help so much.
My suggestion is, if you want to help, let these families know you care. Do NOT allow this incident to become the platform for a political agenda or a media circus. As much as we'd love to know every little detail and see into the lives of these families please give them their space to grieve in peace. If they want to talk they will talk. Consider a fund for any families who might not have had life insurance on their child(ren) so they can have the peace of giving their child a grand and proper burial. And pray. Pray for them, their community and our society that could let such hurt and anger brew to such a boiling point as it did today, right under their noses. How might things have been totally different if someone at the right time had taken notice and cared to ask the shooter "Is something wrong?" before he picked up and loaded those guns?
We were created for companionship yet what does our society put value on? Independence. Most barely have time to manage their own let alone bother with someone outside their immediate family. And apparently the majority of Americans would rather hand their money over to the government to decide who and how to help instead of having to face and deal with the needy themselves. As long as we continue down this path incidents like today are only going to continue to rise. The change must come from within each and every one of us. I'll leave you tonight with the so very true famous words "BE THE CHANGE YOU WANT TO SEE IN THE WORLD" GOD BLESS....
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