Make It Stop

For the second time this school year, I have left school, climbed into my car, turned on the radio and happily headed for home, only to be shocked by some horrific news.  The first time was back in December during the Sandy Hook tragedy, which still brings tears to my eyes.  As I listened to the horror of that day being broadcast on the radio, I almost had to pull over to the side of the road, I was so overcome with sadness. 

Today, only four months after that event, there were two bombs set off at the finish line of the Boston Marathon. Again, as I drove home, I listened to the details on the radio and my eyes stung with tears. It is so difficult to imagine why anyone, anywhere, could purposely intend to kill people, especially children.  

It seems to happen everywhere.  Movie theaters, office buildings, schools, malls, restaurants, nightclubs, and hotels.  The list goes on and on.  And no matter how hard we try, we are losing the sense of safety as these events happen again and again.  

Many people mark their life with one tragic event and can remember what they were doing, where they were, and every detail of hearing the awful news. I can relive every moment of September 11th, 2001 and the World Trade Center disaster.  But how are we going to cope when we have way too many horrible events that mark our lives?  

I worry sometimes as I look at the little ones I teach every day.  I worry about their safety and their ability to cope with events that are completely out of their control.  They were not even alive in 2001; will their future hold an even bigger defining moment of tragedy?  I hope that they will be able to look on the bright side and keep their optimism, as they do so well now as a child.  But in the world today, that's getting more difficult every day.

More than ever, I'm going to continue my quest to look to find the positive in every day.  To relish the time I have as a teacher, a mother, a wife, a daughter.  To hopefully positively influence little children and others around me in any small way I can.  More than ever, we need to try not to let the tragedies around us, pull us down.  

But days like today, that can be very hard to do.