If you are like me the event that took place in Uvalde, Texas on Tuesday shook you to your core.
Another mass shooting.
More innocent lives taken.
Parents who did not get to say goodbye to their babies.
And yes, they were babies.
I think every parent, everyone who has ever loved a child, regardless if they are parents themselves, has been shaken to the core.
I have seen interchanges on social media where people have ripped each other apart with their words.
We are all raw at this point.
The pandemic has changed each of us in some way.
It has changed some of us for the better and some of us — maybe not.
I have no words that can express how I am feeling right now but I do know that we have to start loving one another and not being so hateful with our words and actions. We need to hold our loved ones a little tighter.
So many emotions. I am overwhelmingly sad but I am also angry.
Angry that we continue to allow this to happen.
I am angry about a lot of things apparently. Angry that we are still dealing with Covid when there is accessibility in our country to vaccines that the majority of the population can take to protect themselves and others.
Angry that those that struggle with mental health issues have such difficulty at times getting the professional help that they need. Angry that we just can’t seem to fix the problems in our country that are just that – problems.
I have no words. No words that will fix anything.
Do you?
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In one word- “God”.
We keep talking and arguing.
We all need to join together in heartfelt prayer.
Love you BethAnn and your precious family.
I have definitely been praying and trying to figure out what I can do myself.
No. I thought all the mass shootings before should have been enough. Especially Sandyhook. But all of them, Vegas, Columbine, Charleston, Virginia Tech, Buffalo, so many more. I don’t understand how this can be all right. How people are saying we can’t fix it. Of course we can. Or at least try.
Yes, we have to take some definitive steps and it just seems like it should not be that difficult to at least start to put some regulations on guns. I don’t want to get all political because that is just not me but maybe it needs to be me. I don’t know.
I share your anger. I share the grief and disbelief and frustrations. I am sick and tired of the money, politics, power and “rights” that hold more value than life. And I’m tired of the immediate focus on mental health as the “cause.” Many people deal with mental health challenges and they are not killers. You are right, though, that we need more mental health services that are accessible and immediately available.
I went back and reread my post and realize that it did sound like I was inserting the thought that mental health was the problem. That was not my intention at all. You and I both know well that our mental health system is inadequate and inaccessible to many but I didn’t mean to infer that that was the case here. I have no idea. I apologize for that reference and have tried to edit to make it more what my thoughts are. I was in a stream of consciousness when I wrote that and was just thinking about all the things that need changed. We have a ways to go.
I’m beyond angry and sad. I’ve been reading and researching and it is well-known that this is an American problem. No where in the world are gun deaths this high. When more children have died by guns then police officers in the line of duty, something is very wrong. I keep wanting to kick and scream or cry. I’ve done it all. Having worked in a school and seen the effects of the shooter drills on the kids makes me just wonder why more isn’t done.
And I’m very sorry to say that God, and thoughts and prayers will not do anything to end this pandemic.
Thank you for your thoughts. I know people get angry with the “God, thoughts and Prayers” and I think it is one of those responses that just rolls off our tongues sometimes when we have no other words. Of course I am praying because that is what I do but I am praying that we figure out quickly how to change gun laws and do what is necessary to help prevent these from happening in the future. And I am praying about how I can be part of the solution. What we need is prayer + action.
My heart aches.
LOVE. more love is the answer.
It’s simply heartbreaking…I know how scared I was as a teacher…I just can’t imagine having children who are in school. Terrible.
I can not imagine. I keep thinking about how I am going to feel when our Theo goes to school .