September 11, 2025 So Much Heartbreak

 I promised not to get political here. I'm keeping that promise because what I need to get off my heart isn't about political parties. It's about the seemingly unending gun violence and its grave effect on our society.

I support the 2nd Amendment. I do not support ownership of assault weapons, or the use of weapons to arbitrarily end the life of anyone. Red flag laws need to be more carefully acted upon. Gun violence has become the leading cause of childhood deaths. This is not acceptable.

What was particularly emotional for me this morning was discussing what our schools are doing for intruder drills with my 10 year old 4th grader. I needed to have some reassurance from him that he knows what to do and that it's being taken seriously. The older boys are wise to the current social events and I'm confident they can handle, and act upon, a threat in school. But, the little guy really blew me away with the  matter of fact way he went through the protection process. Rest assured, I was confident in our school system having witnessed the degree of student safety they espoused during my time of employment there. 

When my kids were in 4th grade, the biggest issue they had was what instrument they chose to play in band, not how to save their lives in the event of an intruder at school. It's simply heartbreaking.

I'm angry over how the children of our country have to lose that innocence about life so soon when thoughts and prayers are just not enough to protect them.

Let us also remember the attacks in NYC on this anniversary and the heroes of that day.☘

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Monday August 11, 2025 The Record Must Be Straightened

My family faces something we knew would happen one day, and dreaded; the beginning of losing siblings. This loss is of the second in our birth order, one of only three sisters amidst the horde of boys. The outpouring of caring and sympathy has been frankly overwhelming and very much appreciated.  There is one thing I feel compelled to address and clear the air. Now, this is strictly to ease my discomfort, and is in no way a condemnation of anyone. My sister and I were not close. This all began as children, born close together, not a new or recent development. We grew up as different individuals, in a big crowd. As adults, with our own families, we drifted farther apart in spite of living in the same town. Simply put, we just stayed in our own lanes.  At no time, no matter what disagreements or hurts happened, did I ever forget that she was, above all, still my sister. As my wise brother-in-law shared with me, some things just can't be fixed, so we just let it be. But now,...
Read more

April 1, 2025 Nobody's Fool

  April is here. Now may the warm spring days be more and the cold snowy ones a fond memory. There is no need for a drumroll for this topic today. I quit drinking. I have not counted the days, but it's been about a year and a half since. Instead of calling it a recovery, I feel it's better for me to refer to it as a significant life change. Unlike many, I did not have a dramatic event that forced this change. There was no major health problem, behavior faux pas, criminal slip, or intervention. I simply...quit. It was after the fact that I found how positively my life would be impacted. Alcohol had always been a part of my life, from the days Dad would give me a "snort" of his icy beer after work, to being of legal age at 18, always present at every celebration, to becoming a crutch during Covid. That is where it, in hindsight, got out of hand. I hid it pretty well, although the bottles accumulated at an alarming rate in the recycling. I ignored it, thinking I was okay...
Read more

April 19, 2025 I Forgive You, I Forgive Me

This is an extremely difficult and painful post, but a necessary part of my personal acceptance and healing. I've had a caring professional encourage me to do so, but I've put it off for too long. First of all, I am not targeting any one person. My use of "you" is a general term. I do take responsibility for letting them make me feel the way I did, and it's taken me so long to come to terms with being happy to just be me, warts and all. So, here goes... I forgive you for making me grow up too fast. Being the firstborn seemed to give so many license to make me more independent that I was truly ready to handle. I grew to be someone who never wanted to depend on anyone but myself. It caused me to push people away, instead of accepting help when it was offered, or affection I didn't feel I deserved. A shining example was a nun, who said when I was caught coming into the school lobby because I'd walked the 1/2 mile in the freezing cold, and wanted to get warm, ...
Read more