I had originally not planned to post anything pertaining to yesterday's elementary school shooting in Newton, CT. My thought was that everyone would have formed an opinion and would have reached out for the words and thoughts needed to make sense of the whole thing in their own time. That was the plan, except that I saw a questioned asked, which I feel compelled to answer in the best way I can.
In this time of Advent, when we seek comfort in the coming of our Christ, how can we see hope, peace, or joy in any part of this horrific shooting?
My wife is a Kindergarten teacher. When it became clear through the news that this tragic event involved a classroom of 5-year olds my first thought was, "Why the children?" My second thought came to me immediately after, "My wife, she must be devastated."
I called her, and she hadn't heard the news. I told her I didn't want to be the one to give it to her, but I also knew she would find out as soon as I hung up anyway. When I told her that the kids involved were kindergartners I could honestly feel her heart break.
Later that afternoon, when she came home from school, she asked to watch the news and cuddled next to me on the couch. She was not only visibly sad but also "felt" empty, as though she was drained of all emotion. After watching a news update which did a very good job on summarizing the day's events she asked for a hug. After the hug she said she now had a better understanding of why it happened, and she could see that the people in that town were reaching out to one another in the love only true neighbors can show.
Hope had begun to settle in, peace was not far behind, and soon there would again be joy, all it took was a little love.
I define love as unconditional acceptance. It's when we can find a way to put our differences aside to be with each other. It's when we can see and be ourselves for the person we are. It's when we understand that there is a force greater than us who brings life into this world.
Love makes hope, peace, and joy possible - hope, peace, and joy make love possible. Let's start loving each other now.
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