A Different Weekend With the Girls....

I had so much fun family time planned for this past weekend...

For once we didn't have the usual over flow of appointments & places to be.  We would do what we needed to do on Saturday, but Sunday was meant to be a day of quiet family time.

...and then there was the news on Friday.

Sunday's family time took on a whole new meaning.

How could you not continue to think about the horror in Newtown, CT? Not just because it's all over the news, but because how loudly it speaks to parents of little ones.  It appears that our babies aren't safe anywhere anymore - and especially at one of the places they are supposed to feel safe.

How could you not think of the horror those babies, their teachers and the brave school staff faced?

I mentioned a few blogs ago that I was at the girls' school during an emergency lock down drill.  I discussed it with the girls at the time & they were very casual about it.  At the time, I thought that was good that they didn't have fear in their little hearts at every drill.

I can no longer feel "casual" about it or feel no fear.

When I was a kid in school, we didn't have lock down drills.  We had fire drills.  We never considered someone coming in and shooting children, and I went to elementary school (K-6) in "big bad" Paterson.  Even with Paterson being the "hood" as it's referred to, I never felt scared.  I felt carefree.  Like children are supposed to feel.

My head and heart have been consumed with the absolute evil that came upon those children and staff at Sandy Hook Elementary school.  I think of the teachers.  I think of the last moments of the amazing principal, teachers, etc who put themselves in the line of fire to protect the children.  The heroes.

I struggle, along with everyone else on the WHY of all of this, and know that the WHY can never be known.  The killer took that with him.

So this Sunday was spent a little closer.

Less business.  Less computer.  Less TV.

More hugging and laughing, being extra silly and goofy.

Taking more time to really appreciate the ones I love.

While we should ALWAYS be hugging our children tightly and letting them know how much we love them, every day - sadly the business of life takes away from the extra close time.

The time we need to take.

Without something awful coming along to remind us.

I wish you all love, laughter and quiet time with the ones you love - and I love you all.

~Peace~

Thank you for reading my blog!

~Jenn

In memory of those live tragically taken on Friday, December 14, 2012 - Newtown, CT