On Friday, after I picked up my son from preschool, we went to Dairy Queen for lunch. It’s one of his favorite lunch places because of the toys and play area they have and since I was going to be working all weekend, I wanted to do something fun with him as a little treat before I handed things over to dad.
The news was on the big t.v. above all the tables so it was there that I learned about the horrible murders at Sandy Hook Elementary School as my son ate and played, oblivious to what was being reported on the screen.
My reaction as far as addressing this online was, no comment. I stayed off of Facebook and Twitter and had not planned on writing anything about this here but something I read earlier today has been gnawing at me, demanding a response (internally at least) so here’s my message.
Death, shock, tragedy, disbelief – all things felt regarding the school shooting, are processed and expressed different by everyone. Maybe based on your personal experiences with loss, because of your own personal and political beliefs or just the fact that we are all unique individuals.
Some shout from the mountain tops, angry and needing to be heard. Some are more sad and subdued or subtle in their expression. Some go radio silent.
I don’t believe there is a right or wrong way to express your feelings about this kind of tragedy but I do hope we can remember to be respectful of one another and respectful of the families dealing with loss at this time.
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