I SWITCHED ON THE TELEVISION this afternoon, mail in hand, to read a few Christmas cards before continuing on with my day of catch-up around the house and wrapping gifts.
“20 children, six adults dead at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Ct.” or some such words flashed across the bottom of the screen as a reporter detailed the latest mass execution in America.
My aunt’s holiday letter fell from my hands. I read not a single cheery greeting, but instead dumped the pile of remaining unopened mail onto the dining room table and sobbed.
How can this be?
Again.
© Copyright 2012 Audrey Kletscher Helbling
Minnesota Prairie Roots 
It’s unbelievably tragic.
Tragic and senseless and sad beyond words. My heart just hurts for those families, for that community, for our nation.
Horribly tragic – senseless – so sad – such innocent lives lost for no reason. I know you dealt with this back a few months ago with your son at his college campus. Makes me want to screw work and just be with family right now.
Yes, if any good can come of this tragedy it would be exactly what you said, to embrace family.
Fortunately the threat at North Dakota State University never became reality. But, yes, it was frightening for me, his parent, living 300 miles away and uncertain what was unfolding on my son’s college campus.
My thoughts precisely. I immediately texted the boys an “I love you.” It is so difficult to wrap my mind around it all.
When my boy arrives home from North Dakota State in about two hours, you can bet he’s going to receive an even tighter and longer hug than I would normally give him. And believe me, my hugs are typically long and lingering.
So glad you texted that message to your boys. As parents we can’t tell our children often enough how very much we love them.
…and the 28 children stabbed in China today as well. I’m beyond sad, cried on the way home from work, got home from work and did the only thing I could think of …. pray.
I had not heard about the children in China. Double prayers.
Yes…so incredibly sad and horrific! In a country where the blessings are heaped upon its citizens. The days grow increasingly dark. This is not a pessimistic statement but, rather, a statement of truth…..eternal truth spoken of in the Bible. May the Lord have mercy on us all!!!
One response to that: Amen.
Audrey…My heart hurts for all the innocence lost that day. I found this from a blog, the words from “I Heard The Bells On Christmas Day”
And in despair I bowed my head:
“There is no peace on earth,” I said,
“For hate is strong and mocks the song
Of peace on earth, good will to men.”
Then pealed the bells more loud and deep:
“God is not dead, nor doth he sleep;
The wrong shall fail, the right prevail,
With peace on earth, good will to men.
This is so beautiful and touching, Bernie. Thank you so much for sharing this with my readers.
My two oldest kids and I had a good conversation about it all yesterday. I am not freaking out about it, and neither are they. We’re resting in God!
Conversation is good in a situation like this, as you know. How about Lucy?
I remember after Jacob Wetterling was kidnapped, I had a conversation with my young daughters about strangers and how to react if they ever found themselves in a horrible, awful situation. That was especially frightening for me, knowing that a masked man would snatch a boy from his bike in rural Minnesota. My dental hygienist and I had a conversation about the Sandy Hook shooting yesterday. And then she brought up Jacob Wetterling’s kidnapping, wondering how Patti Wetterling manages to deal with this reality of not knowing what happened to her son.
I hadn’t heard about that until a few years back. So awful, yes. We haven’t talked with Lucy about it too much – I find it hard to find the balance between scaring them…and preparing them…I suppose that we should talk about it, but I’ve been avoiding it…