Senseless

If I had one word to describe what transpired at Sandy Hook Elementary School yesterday, that would be it-"senseless".  20 children, ages 6 and 7, and 6 adults who were protecting those children, lost their lives in a school shooting massacre that occurred in a small Connecticut town.  How can that be?  A gunman came into the school and started shooting innocent people, mostly defenseless children.  The details so far are a bit blurry.  No one knows this man's motive.  Will knowing make us feel better?  No.  Will it bring justice for the little lives that were taken?  No.  But it's what we do, search for answers to bring any sort of sense to this tragedy.

As a mother of a kindergartener, I simply can't imagine what these parents are feeling.  It brings tears to my eyes and what feels like a vice in my chest when I simply try.  You send your child to school each morning.  To learn,  to make friends, because it's what you're supposed to do.  It is a safe place....or at least it is supposed to be.  Maybe some of those children in Connecticut were a bit slow Friday morning.  Maybe little "Sally's" mom snapped at her to "hurry up, eat your breakfast or you'll be late".  Maybe little "Jackie" and her mom fought over what clothes she was going to wear.  I know these incidents happen quite often at my house.  I take for granted that my kindergartener will be back at the 3:10 each day and I'll have better moments with her.  Time to 'take back' my irritated words that were spoken in haste.  I doubt any of those children's parents would care if they were running behind ever again or if their kids clothes didn't match if they could just have them back in their arms. 

I wish there was a simple answer to prevent these senseless acts from occurring.  I find myself wondering, "do things like this happen in other developed countries?  Or are we the only country raising people who do these maniacal things?"  From what I have read so far, the person responsible came from a "normal" family.  I imagine his family must be reeling in their own grief, disbelief and misery.  If the answer was only as simple as gun control or the right plan for when this happens (are you kidding, who would plan for this to happen).  School shootings are becoming all too common.  Yesterday it stooped to an all time low-killing small children, babies really, whose lives hadn't truly begun, complete innocents.  What have we done wrong?

Why write this post?  To get things off my brain.  To remind myself to bite my tongue a bit more (even if she is driving me crazy) and always hug my daughter when she leaves for school.  To remember that this may be the next small town to suffer a tragedy, that no one is safe.  To remember the lives taken yesterday and those who so bravely tried to stop it. 

May God be with the victims families and carry them through what must be the worst time in their lives.