TISSUES FOR YOUR TEARS – WITH LOVE

There really are no words to say to those who have been forever changed by the tragedy in Newtown, CT.  I know, because I’ve been through this before.  I’ve been standing at the kitchen sink cleaning up from lunch, when the local news flashes a bulletin across the screen saying a shooting has just been reported at your child’s school!  From that moment on, you hear almost nothing except for the ramblings of your own mind.  Fear takes over every shred of common sense that once controlled your thoughts.  Visions enter your head that you think are the most horrifying you will ever see...until you see the reality!

And the reality is that nothing will ever prepare you for what you are now experiencing.  No amount of planning or training, as a parent or as a professional, can truly ever prepare you for this.  The one most important thing to remember is that you are not alone!  There are others with the same helpless feelings – questioning why?  Wondering how such a loving God could let something so cold and heartless happen to such innocent children and the ones guarding over them.

I want to share with you a poem, written by Emily Dickenson called “I Shall Know Why”. Ironically, this very poem was being taught to a class of Westside Middle School students on the morning of March 24, 1998 – just hours before their tragic school shooting occurred.

                             "I Shall Know Why"

                              by Emily Dickenson

                I shall know why when time is over,

               And I have ceased to wonder why:

               Christ will explain each separate anguish

               In the fair schoolroom of the sky.

               He will tell me what Peter promised

               And I, for wonder at his woe,

               I shall forget the drop of anguish,

               That scalds me now, that scalds me now.

As parents and educators, you now have the daunting task of helping to heal the survivors – while yet; you are trying to heal yourself.  Although it may seem impossible, we all know that anything is possible with the help of God.  So don’t hesitate to pray – don’t hesitate to share your feelings with one another.  Let the children express how they are feeling, and write their feelings down in stories and poems, or even song.  Let them draw pictures and make cards to send to grieving parents, or to place on the empty desk of their fallen classmates.  There is strength in numbers, and this is certainly a time to utilize the strength of you family, your church, your friends and your community.

As the outpouring of love comes in from the world around you, take it all in.  Let yourselves be comforted by the loving thoughts from all of us, to all of you – and let our prayers be tissues for your tears!