For the past couple of days I have been debating on whether
or not I should write anything about the horrific theater shooting
in Aurora or just leave my feelings unsaid. Being a Denver area resident and
a mother whose daughter was at a different midnight showing of Batman that
night, this just hit a little too close to home to remain silent.
Even though I try to keep this a light and cheerful site
that is always politically neutral and mostly untouched by controversy and tragedy, sometimes the gravity
of reality seeps in. I also always pair every post with a
recipe, but there is no way I can tie any food reference or recipe to this post today. Unfortunately there is no cupcake or pot
roast, no matter how good that will make this one any better.
As I watch the endless news coverage my heart breaks to see
the faces of the young victims whose lives came to an early end just going to
see a midnight movie. Madness. I am so thankful that I can only imagine the
sorrow and grief that is being felt today by the parents and loved ones of the
twelve precious souls that were lost in that theater. My children are safe in their beds this morning and it is
times like these that I am reminded of what a precious gift that is.
Thirteen years ago another senseless shooting took place
here in Colorado at Columbine High School.
Time has helped everyone move on a bit, but that tragedy is always just
under the surface. Now this incident has
opened that old wound back up and the inevitable question of “why” is being
asked once again and once again, for now at least, there is no answer.
Maybe someday we will figure out what causes some people
to feel the need to hurt others, but I’m afraid that I don’t have much faith in
that happening anytime soon. History has shown that there will
always be people who are angry or ill and feel actions like this will make them
feel better. I really don’t know how you
eradicate that, but I do take great comfort in the belief that most of us are basically good.
Today I think I'll turn off the news and take a walk on my favorite trail and
remember what a beautiful place this is to live in. I’ll do my best to be kind and tolerant to
the people I come in contact with and relish it when they are kind to me. I just can’t help but think that this is the
best way to honor those that have been lost to senseless violence and support
the people who mourn them.
7 comments:
I've been thinking about you these past two days and am glad you posted. Sending my thoughts and good wishes to your area, but especially to you :)
Thank you Karen for you kind and caring words. You wrote about our fears and sadness so eloquently and I thank you again for this post xoxo
Thank you for sharing these words with us. Your post has only voiced what we are thinking as well. Such a tragedy and a tragic loss of so many innocent lives.
It really must of been a shock and a relief at the same time. Thank goodness your children are safe.
All my love, Beverley xoxo
Perfectly written. This has been a horrible past few days for not only us but our nation. An unspeakable tragedy.
You have mirrored my feelings so eloquently; it is hard to know what to do. Not just how to respond on a blog but literally...what do we do?
Columbine will always weigh heavy on our hearts but like most painful memories, time does help to heal and then this incident has ripped that wound wide open. My daughter was in high school at Creek during Columbine and it was a traumatizing moment for families far and wide. I recall nightmares we both had, fears about safety during the day, anxiety at every noise and it took a long time to feel some sense of normalcy; maybe we never quite did. Now this.
The sadness is palpable and so is the rhetoric. I hope and pray that the victims will be at the forefront of our thoughts as much as the news would like to focus on the accused.
SO very grateful your daughter was elsewhere but even that was a bit too close for comfort. I used to love to escape to the movies, now I hope I don't have to worry forever about escaping from them.
What a thoughtful and sensitive post. I thought about you this weekend.
I have been thinking about you and your family and am glad you expressed yourself on your blog. Such a beyond terrible tragedy, when I read your daughter was at another midnight screening, gave me chills. Cannot even imagine. Being out with nature does help to see the beauty in the world.
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