Wednesday, December 19, 2012

What can you do?


What do you say?  At a time of such sorrow, such loss and devastation....what do you do, what do you say?  The events that took place on Friday in Connecticut are nothing short of devastating and tragic.  They have caused a nation to grieve and walk through each moment since we first heard with hearts so heavy that many of us have to fight the tears and the sickening feelings in our stomachs.   And then we look at our children and our hearts ache even more...for those that lost their loved ones and for the many children that have been forever scarred by this unspeakable nightmare.  

It seems that when such a tragedy occurs, we all seek to find answers....why?  And then...it starts...

Some say it's the lack of gun control, some say the schools need to be more secure, and others say it was because the shooter had Aspergers Syndrome.  The latter "answer" triggers some strong emotions for me.  But, I don't think I even need to address it because John Elder Robison does it best...read what he says here.

What can we do as individuals about this?  Well, I think we can start by showing kindness to one another, especially to those who seemingly do not "deserve" it.  Pay attention to what goes on around you, be compassionate and reach out to those who may seem "off".  It's not someone else's problem...
 

There are many things that people are doing to honor the victims and their families, including 26 acts of kindness, a campaign initiated by Ann Curry.  What a great challenge.  Even if you can't see yourself doing 26, start with one.  You can do something and you never know how far the ripples of your random act of kindness will reach...so just go do it!

Three things in human life are important. The first is to be kind. The second is to be kind and the third is to be kind. ~ Henry James 

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