Where Is The Love?

I write with a heavy, heavy heart today. An unimaginable tragedy occurred yesterday at an elementary school in Newtown, CT. 26 people killed in a matter of minutes and 20 of them were children. What happens now? How will the parents of these young kids wake up each day? How does this small community heal? How do we as a nation move forward in a way that brings about change, real change?

In these moments so soon after hearing the horrible news, we are raw and wounded. Our safe and secure world has been shattered and we find ourselves asking “why” and “what could have been done to prevent this nightmare that is now a reality?” Parents are giving their kids an extra hug or holding their babes for just a few seconds longer and a little bit tighter. I see the outpouring of emotion all over Facebook. A number of friends had posts about deciding to go pick their children up at school or anxiously waiting for their kids to step off the bus. People are sick about it and many enraged with the gun laws in our country. One friend wrote…

“I add my voice to those saying that this obscene tragedy should lead us the action we’ve delayed for far too long to put in place meaningful and effective restrictions on access to guns. Neither the Constitution nor common sense require us to treat the exercise of any right–including Second Amendment rights–as though it takes place in a vacuum without consideration of the impact it has on the rights of others. All gun owners and advocates who care about the lives of fellow citizens and the quality of our society should join this outcry.”

I’ve seen multiple posts with the statistics about how many people were killed with handguns in the US vs. other countries and the numbers are staggering. Again, I find myself asking “Why? What is wrong with our country?” And then there is the mental illness piece. Clearly, nobody in their right mind would do such a horrible thing. What can we do to help the people that so desperately need help? Lastly, there is the media and the role that they play. I was moved by Morgan Freeman’s response to the tragic events which you can read here. Although, I found it perplexing that examiner.com used the shooter’s name in the headline of the article.

I have no answers and am mostly writing as a cathartic way of beginning to process my feelings and emotions. At this point I feel mostly sad and shaken. Each time I think about the kids in the school, the families that lost a loved one, and the whole Newtown community, my eyes get teary and I find it hard to swallow. I had recently made a new playlist for the gym and it included the song “Where Is The Love” by the Black Eyed Peas. My girls have been loving it and last night Ilana must have played it 10 times in a row as she choreographed a dance to it. It took all the strength I had to keep the tears from flooding down my face as I cooked up potato latkes for the 7th night of Channukah. I wanted to share this song as well as a couple of links to words of hope and love that I’ve seen communicated through Facebook. Now, more than ever, we must come together and find the love, find the peace and figure out a way to heal and live in harmony.

“Where Is The Love” – Black Eyed Peas

25 Moments That Restored Our Faith In Humanity This Year.
Because sometimes you need a reminder that people can do wonderful things.

“When I was a boy and I would see scary things in the news, my mother would say to me, “Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping.” To this day, especially in times of “disaster,” I remember my mother’s words and I am always comforted by realizing that there are still so many helpers – so many caring people in this world.” – Fred Rogers