As selfish as it seems, upon hearing the tragic news of the Connecticut elementary school shooting, I could only think of one thing–to hug my children tightly. I would like to send my thoughts and prayers to all parties involved, and I am definitely going to continue the FOCUS: PEACE meditations and pray for peace in all our hearts. But what keeps coming up over and over is my need to hug my children who are in school at this very moment.
Like all other parents hearing this news, I struggle with what to do in a situation like this. Is there anyway I could have prevented this from happening? What if I had voted for tougher gun laws? What if I had petitioned for better education or health care services?
What can I do right now to prevent anything like this from happening again? And all I can think of is pulling my kids out of school and hugging them close.
But maybe that is the best thing I can do. As news comes out about the shooting, we are learning that the shooter was not much older than the children in the school–around 20 years old. I can’t imagine why anyone would do what he did. The only things that I can think of that would have prevented him from pulling that trigger are love and understanding. He must have lost all faith in love to have chosen to attack innocent children. What if someone had given him the love that he needed? What if someone had hugged him close and told him it would be ok?
I can’t do anything now to prevent what has already happened. I can’t mend the hearts of all the mothers and fathers whose children are gone. All I can do is hug my children tightly, love them deeply, and pray that they will never feel as desperate or as unloved as this shooter.
everyday gurus 