It is with a sad heart that I am once again blogging about a tragedy such as this where too many innocent lives were unexplainably taken way too early. This past Friday, December 14th, 2012, an armed gunman forced his way into the (locked) school and took the lives of 20 children and 6 staff members before taking his own life. We later learned he had already killed his own mother as well. What could possibly drive a person to commit such a crime? We may never know. How do we prevent this from ever happening again? Do we take guns off the market or arm everyone? Do we keep our kids home 24/7 or do we teach them to suspect everyone? How do you help a 6 year old understand the horror he or she has just witnessed? How can you supress that feeling that you can not protect them from the evil in this world no matter how hard you try? In the weeks to come we will see and hear this story evolve and rumors will fly. Please check your facts before you share them,
SNOPES.com is a great place to start. If you fee the need or are able to, send along a note of condolence or a gift to help the victims families in their darkest hours. The USPS has dedicated a post office box: Messages of Condolence for Newtown, P.O. Box 3700, Newtown, CT, 06470. (Please do not send them to the school as it may not be functional for a long time and there is not enough staff to handle the volume expected.) In the mean time, love those children, hug and kiss them often, if they are old enough, talk about it with them. If they are having a hard time with this tragedy, seek professional help. If we learn nothing else from this, we need to take a good look at the way mental illnesses are treated and viewed in this country. There has to be a better way. God bless the souls of those taken away and comfort those left behind. (Photo: HuffingtonPost.com, sobbing woman kneeling at a makeshift memorial in Newtown, CT, surrounded by teddy bears.)
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