All 20 Of Them
Confirmed: 20 school children, ages 6-7 years old died during a one man brutal shooting rampage in an elementary school in Connecticut. For sure, all of us have heard and followed-up on this sad news as it progresses, and different kinds and degrees of emotional impact have touched our lives…
As it was my morning routine, my TV was tuned in to the morning news, while preparing to go to work. I first heard about this incident on the morning of December 14, 2012. My eyes got glued to the screen,as I listened to the newscaster rant about a shooting in an elementary school. All of a sudden, because of shock and disbelief, I felt my knees became weak, that I have to slump on my bed. At that time, there were yet no definite information as to why and how it happened, who did it, and whether there were fatalities. But the fact that it was in an elementary school, very young children were the ones grossly affected. During the days that followed, pictures of these beautiful angels graced the TV screen, Facebook, and other on-line social media network. Each time a beautiful, innocent smiling face flashed in the boob tube and tabloids, my heart skipped a beat. Mixed emotion overwhelmed me: grief, compassion, outrage, regret. They were prematurely robbed of their right to live, and their future. The only basic question I asked myself was: “Why?” The “why” that you and I will never know the answer.
These innocent children, all 20 of them, will never be seen again carrying their backpacks; run to the nearest school bus stop to catch their ride to school; smear their faces with peanut butter and jelly; sit on their parent’s lap; or will be heard yelling out: “Yes Mom, I already did my homework”. “Yes Mom, I already brushed my teeth”.
These innocent children, all 20 of them, were just in the first step of the ladder of educational pursuit and were just on the process of discovering the world. Perhaps some of them have their childhood dream, a dream that will never be realized.
These innocent children, all 20 of them, whose parents, brothers and sisters will no longer be able to kiss and hug them before they go to bed at night and after they wake up in the morning; whose chair in the dining table will remain empty; whose smile when they get their favorite toy, will no longer be seen.
They may no longer be in this world, but their memory will remain and will be cherished in the hearts of those people whom their lives were touched…they will never be forgotten.
-Lark-
12.18.12
Wings Of A Nightingale 