Trying to Collect my Thoughts on Sandy Hook

I have been wanting to write since the tragedy this past Friday but to be completely honest I have struggled with what to write. I am a person that tries to find meaning in the chaos that can sometimes surrounds us. It is a survival mechanism I think so many of us use. I do think ultimately finding some meaning even when there appears to be none, pays some kind of homage, respect to those lost in tragic events such as this one in Newtown, CT. Whether it be a call to action for the fight against weapons or an increased push to learn more about the mental illnesses that can affect children and how to help them live safe and full lives or as a community make sure we band together to help at risk children. This is still hard to do, the wound too great or too fresh perhaps to extrapolate meaning just yet. It is all simply too sad. For me at least, I need to take pause, to hear the silence and to reflect in our all often too busy to reflect lives and to open our eyes to what is around us and be so thankful. I can’t tell you how long I watched our children sleep this weekend, closing my eyes to pray for the families that lost a loved one and praying that nothing like this will ever happen again. When I open them I know as a parent after this pause, I must keep what our children do so well, and that is the hope and the faith in the inherent good in the world. We cannot see the world as a dark place or for an inkling let them know we are scared. We must fill them with confidence in their worlds and we must do everything in our power to support the right calls to action that come out of this tragedy. After you pause, I encourage us all to think about how to take action, to ultimately make sure the lessons we will learn from this are not in vain.

Parenting can be dividing but in this we must stand together and make this world as safer place for our children so we truly believe the words we are telling them.

I’ll be honest, I am not sure where to start. But as parents we must find a way.