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On Friday I went silent. I considered it a gift and important reminder that I was able to spend time with my family. I was acutely aware that not everyone was as lucky as I was to do so. There were far too many families missing their sweet babies on Friday...
I thought about continuing my silence through today and join the “Blogger Day of Silence”… but I thought that my silence was already spent. It was time for words.
Words that beg for an end to senseless violence.
Words that recognize that every day is a gift.
Words that are a call to action to not let these tragic deaths be in vain.
Words that circle the Sandy Hook families in love. My love is stretching across the country. Not a moment has gone by that I haven’t been thinking of loving and healing thoughts for those going through the worst pain imaginable. A pain that I can not even fathom.
But even more important than words are actions.
Today my daughter went to school. It took every ounce of my being to let her out of the car. I wanted to sit in the parking lot and not drive away. I wanted to be there. Good or bad… I wanted to be there just in case. But who would that really help? Would my daughter grow to be strong if I showed weakness? Highly unlikely.
Today I chose actions that show that I am stronger than evil. My action and inner pain is nothing compared to the path that the families of those that lost loved ones will face. I know this. I chose actions to show the families that are hurting that they are not alone. Their loved ones are not forgotten. I will be thinking of them for a long time…
Has this tragedy changed you?
Beautifully said. Yes, this has changed me. How could it not. We spent the entire weekend going about our normal business… spending time with our friends and family. We didn’t turn the TV or radio on once. I am having a very hard time with this… I picture those innocent children and tears roll down my face. I struggle with not letting my children see my pain. They are 12, 10 and 8 and know what happened. My 10 year old woke up Friday night with nightmares. They’ve been asking questions about death. They are hard to answer. We have to be more careful, but we can’t shield our children from evil. Unfortunately, it’s all around us. All we can do is love them, hold them tight, and make sure they feel comforted and safe in the moment.