Interesting words to pair together, but if you've heard anything about today's Newtown, Connecticut tragedy at Sandy Hook Elementary School - where 20 children and six adults were killed before the suspect took his own life - they'll make sense.
As I went about my work day, every face I encountered showed signs of sadness, strain, or stunned disbelief. Words aren't required to describe how many parents around the nation and the world felt, myself included. It was hard to shake the tragic knowledge that parents of twenty kids were knocked to their knees today, not to mention the loved ones of the others senselessly massacred. The thought of their innocent lives being snuffed out as they sat in class was at times overwhelming.
Dozens of times throughout the day, I wanted to take our own child out of school -- or stop in just to hold her for a moment in extreme gratitude. By the time we connected that afternoon, all I could do was hold her so tight she almost couldn't breathe, look deeply into her eyes, and swallow the lump in my throat to give her a weak smile of normalcy. Many colleagues and friends waited at bus stops to hug their children and grandchildren and tell them they were deeply loved.
I don't know if I will mention today's events to our child, but we will take the opportunity to reinforce safety precautions and emergency procedures.
Peace.
As I went about my work day, every face I encountered showed signs of sadness, strain, or stunned disbelief. Words aren't required to describe how many parents around the nation and the world felt, myself included. It was hard to shake the tragic knowledge that parents of twenty kids were knocked to their knees today, not to mention the loved ones of the others senselessly massacred. The thought of their innocent lives being snuffed out as they sat in class was at times overwhelming.
Dozens of times throughout the day, I wanted to take our own child out of school -- or stop in just to hold her for a moment in extreme gratitude. By the time we connected that afternoon, all I could do was hold her so tight she almost couldn't breathe, look deeply into her eyes, and swallow the lump in my throat to give her a weak smile of normalcy. Many colleagues and friends waited at bus stops to hug their children and grandchildren and tell them they were deeply loved.
I don't know if I will mention today's events to our child, but we will take the opportunity to reinforce safety precautions and emergency procedures.
Peace.
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