In light of recent events in Newtown, Connecticut, I just didn’t feel right jumping right back into blogging as usual today. As a mom of two young boys, one of whom will be attending elementary school next year, the incident hit particularly close to home for me. It is beyond devastating, not only to the Newtown community but to all of us. I know that we are all grieving. Beth from Home Stories A to Z is a former school guidance counselor and she wrote a wonderful post entitled How to Talk to Your Kids About School Shootings. I would highly recommend this if you have school-age children and you’d like some tips on how to discuss these types of situations with them.
As horrible and sad as it is, I also know that there is hope. It is frustrating to know that there will never be an answer as to why this happened. No reason or explanation will ever make sense. We will never, ever be able to understand. All we can do is keep those affected in our thoughts and prayers and support them in any way that we can.
“Trust the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding.” – Proverbs 3:5
If you are wondering how you can help the families and community affected by this devastating situation, United Way has set up a fund to provide support services to them. You can find more information here.
I saw a discussion online about how we always remember the killers’ names long after these horrible crimes are committed, and we very rarely remember the victims. I like the idea that was proposed that we don’t focus on the killer’s name, and instead just choose one victim at random and never ever forget their name. I wish I could remember them all forever, and I probably will remember several. But I will never ever forget Noah Pozner. Choose a name, and never forget it.
I will return to normal blog posts this week. I know that life must go on, and although we will never forget, we must move forward. During times like these we need an outlet more than ever – an escape from the news and the devastation. This blog is my outlet, and maybe yours too. I’m going to hug my babies now, as I’ve been doing nonstop lately. I hope that you will stop by tomorrow as I return to normal blogging.
“You must not lose faith in humanity. Humanity is like an ocean; if a few drops of the ocean are dirty, the ocean does not become dirty.” -Mahatma Ghandi
How are you coping with the situation? Have you discussed it with your children? Which name(s) will you never forget? Feel free to leave a comment and let me know.