Today I Remember

 

Today I remember John Lennon.  Brilliant musician, voice for peace and justice gunned down in front of his home 43 years ago.  An act that shook us to the core, and yet...

I also remember the 26 people (20 of whom were children under 8) who were gunned down at Sandy Hook Elementary school on December 14, 2012.  I particularly remember Chase  Kowalski whose name and likeness grace the playground at the shore (which was destroyed after Hurricane Sandy).  My son would play there in the summer months and was the same age as my son when he was murdered.

I remember the 17 people gunned down at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in February of 2018.  I think of the promise that the high school students held and what they might have achieved if they had not been killed.

I remember the 3 faculty members at the University of Nevada Los Vegas who were murdered this Wednesday (December 6th) on campus.

Today I am grateful that my son made it through pre-school, elementary school, middle school and high school without facing the threat of an active shooter.  My soul hurts that he and EVERY student has had to go through numerous active shooter drills so that they could be prepared for what could all to easily happen.

Today I am anxious as he lives and learns on a campus.  I am fearful as he has been safe for so long and our family has yet to be touched by gun violence.  I wonder how long our "luck" will hold.  I know I am not alone in feeling this way. I am certain that countless parents worry just the same.

There are too many victims to name.  Too many places (schools, houses of worship, stores, etc.) to reference.  Too many.  (The Gun Violence Archive tells me that total number of deaths this year, which also includes suicides is 40,258.  This data was as of December 6.)

I wish there was more that I could do than remember.  I wish that we would ALL do more than remember.  

Maybe someday...