Today, in Connecticut there are parents who will wish, possibly for the rest of their lives, that they had never sent their children to school this morning. They will go over and over what they could have done differently.
No one should have to consider the possibility that when they send their little ones to school, that they might never come home.
Some will thank God or whatever forces of the universe they put their faith in for the fever, or the stomach bug or even the case of head lice that may have kept their child home today.
I can't even imagine what possesses a grown man to open fire on a building full of children.
It boggles the mind.
No child should ever have to see their teacher, principal and peers gunned down before their eyes. No child should have to live with that memory.
The teachers who were on duty, some of them will live with the memory and guilt, guilt that they should not have to bear, from being unable to save the children.
It feels like there should be some kind of metaphor here, but I have nothing. It's just as well. Enough people will use this event to political ends as it is. I don't want to add to it.
I don't want to speculate on this guys mental and emotional state. I don't want to talk about guns.
I just want to hold my babies.
It is a terrible thing. I am unable to process any thoughts but sorrow while others wail on about gun control and arming teachers at the same time. Can we not mourn first before slinging the proverbial stone?
ReplyDeleteThank You for your post.
I sat next to my wife on the couch and cried. I didn't tell the kids I loved them before they went to school this morning. The thought of those families doing the same thing I did, but without a chance to say it after school just broke my heart.
ReplyDeleteI hear you. No kid should have to see that. And you're right, there are places where it's a common experience in childhood. I simply cannot take that in. I don't have the emotional breadth to grieve for all the victims of all the wars that happen every day.
ReplyDeleteMany people have tried - a lot - stop these things happening in hideously complex and entrenched conflict situations. As far as I can see, all our interventions, when they have any effect at all, only make things worse. So I will continue to grieve and pray for these people, but I have resolved to stop feeling guilty about "not doing something."