Innocence

I can't stop thinking about the horrific tragedy in Connecticut today. Horrific doesn't even begin to describe it.

I have cried all day off and on but never as much as when my friend Eliza posted a picture of her sweet little kindergartner. He is the sweetest boy and Eliza has done such a good job letting him be a child. In a word he is innocent.

When you think of the innocence of children, there is nothing that should be cherished and protected more. In the past year or so I have thought a lot about how Rodger and I will raise our children in the future. And my main thought has been that I just want to keep them as innocent as possible for as long as possible.  I don't want them to know things like what happened today.

It's completely unthinkable and unspeakable what happened at that school. And we can debate gun control, and mental health, and people being aware of what is going on in their family. And they are all valid issues to argue about and things that need to be discussed. And God knows I have my opinions, one of which is why does a woman with a mentally deranged son need 3 weapons including a semi-automatic gun, but it won't help any of these people's loss right now.

President Obama said it best that we mourn for the loss of the children that were killed and we mourn the loss of the innocence of the children that survived. They will never be the same.

I think we can all look back at a point in our life where our innocence was lost. It's not fair that it was taken from these children at such a young age.

I feel as I get older the sadder these things are. I can't even imagine what it will feel like to have my own children and then watch the news and hear about these crimes on other children. I think it's the rational human response to think what would that be like if it happened to me. And to think that in this situation is just beyond anything I can comprehend. I don't know that there is anything worse.

I pray for these people so deeply affected by this tragedy. By this heinous crime. By this complete theft of all of our innocence.

And I pray for those parents.

And that's all. It's just so unspeakable.


"Because while nothing can fill the space of a lost child or loved one, all of us can extend a hand to those in need -- to remind them that we are there for them, that we are praying for them, that the love they felt for those they lost endures not just in their memories but also in ours." - President Obama