Burning a Candle for Newtown

My mind has been occupied all weekend with thoughts of Sandy Hook Elementary.  Words cannot express the empty feeling this kind of tragedy leaves me with.  I am not currently married.  I do not have children. I simply cannot imagine the heartbreak those families are going through.  Even if the family was lucky enough to have their students come home at the end of the day, I'm sure they are just torn apart.  I'm sitting here 2,300 miles away.  I don't know any of them directly.  I've never even been to Connecticut, and I'm torn apart, having fought bouts with tears several times over this weekend.

There is part of me that feels awful being so grateful that this was not our elementary.  I cannot begin to empathize with that community, how terrible it must be. When tragedy like this strikes, I can't help but think of Sophocles and a line from Oedipus Rex, paraphrased, "If this is how the world works, then why bother?" But really, it is because the world can be so irrational that we need to bother more! We need to be like the Whos down in Whoville who sing when it seems like there's nothing to sing about; Who sing especially when there's nothing to sing about.  Why sing?  Because, we need to let the world know that above all, love is louder!

I have done my best not to watch the news about this horrific event.  I have done my best to not know the horrible details.  I have done my best to not glorify what has happened.  I don't even know the name of the shooter, and I honestly don't care to know.  What I do care about is all of the innocent lives that have been taken way to soon.  I had a song that randomly came across my I-pod yesterday, and thus began one of my bouts with tears.  I could do nothing but think of those children and teachers.  I sang the lyrics as loud as my cracking voice would let me, in hopes that somehow they could hear.  I encourage you to do the same.  Pick a name, or sing to all of them.  Do not forget the victims:

Charlotte Bacon, Daniel Barden, Rachel Davino, Olivia Engel, Josephine Gay, Ana M. Marquez-Greene, Dylan Hockley, Dawn Hochsprung, Madeleine F. Hsu, Catherine V. Hubbard, Chase Kowalski, Jesse Lewis, James Mattioli, Grace McDonnell, Anne Marie Murphy, Emilie Parker, Jack Pinto, Noah Pozner, Caroline Previdi, Jessica Rekos, Avielle Richman, Lauren Rousseau, Mary Sherlach, victoria Soto, Benjamin Wheeler, and Allison N. Wyatt.

I had a friend wonder if I felt so much more emotionally connected to this because it was on my turf, and I don't know if that's the case, but regardless, I will continue to do what I do with my position.  I will not only teach the kids academics, but I will teach them character, and in that, universal acceptance.  I will grow to love, respect, care for, and protect every single one of my children, because, as much as I hope it never happens, in the event that I am put into the situation, I would stand up and take the bullet to protect every single one of them past, present, and future.