After the recent shooting at a high school in Florida, I sat still and prayed for the students, their families, the teachers, and the police who entered the building. Today will be etched in every single person’s mind who lived through a senseless tragedy.
It hit too close to home when I heard that my granddaughter’s school is now locked after the students arrive. Thank God was my first response. She’s in first grade.
When my kids went to preschool, I cried. When it was time for kindergarten, I cried again. First grade brought more tears, as I watched them grow up. It must be a Mom thing because there were tissues with every Mom in the parking lot.
Mom’s don’t expect to cry when the kids are having an ordinary Feb 14th at school; until the news flashes on the TV screen, or their phone rings with the news that there has been a shooting at their school. This is a quiet little town and things like that don’t happen there. I’ve heard those words before in past shootings. Even as I write,”past shootings” I cringe. How many times will we hear these words again?
The kids who were shot and died, were just teenagers. Their biggest worry might have been who to ask to the upcoming prom. Maybe they were worried about their report cards. Some were looking forward to getting a driver’s license and cruising around with friends, like teenagers do. Some might have heartaches from a break up. None of them ever expected this to be their last day on earth.
They say one person can’t make a difference. One person made a horrible difference that day. One person thought he could solve his inner turmoil by randomly killing these children. One person’s rage and hatred changed families and the community forever. One person destroyed lives and brought a nation to our knees praying for those families.
We can play the blame game all day. The fact is each and every one of us has a responsibility to be aware and do our part. It’s up to every family to change our society now. We’ve come a long way from Leave It To Beaver families. Life was simple then. We never locked our doors. Our neighbors all watched out for the kids. The Beverly Hillbilly and The Flying Nun were our favorite TV shows. I think life was better then.
I’ll continue to pray for the victims and their families of that horrible day. I’ll pray for the community and all the first responders who were involved that day.
I hope you will join me in that prayer for a long time.
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