A friend told me that once I become a mother I will see the world for the disgusting, dangerous place it is. We were joking about hand sanitizer, but that phrase continues to resonate with me as I delve deeper into parenthood. I didn’t simply read about this week’s tragedy and shake my head. I physically ached with pain for the parents in Parkland, Florida who are grieving the deaths of their children. I shuddered when I read one father’s heartbroken phrase “I lost our baby girl.”
I never want to know this pain.
It would be easy to say thank God we live abroad. It would be easy to write off the idea of sending our boy to a U.S. school. Now would be the moment to give up on my homeland, but I’m not ready to, yet.
I took five minutes yesterday to write an email to my congressman and ask for common sense gun laws that will protect my son in the future. It seemed hypocritical not to, since I spend all day trying to keep his fingers out of electrical sockets and marbles out of his mouth. If you feel so moved, you can do the same via this link.
Meanwhile, I hope your weekend is a meaningful one. Here are a few links to peruse:
Five ways to help Parkland today
My take on terrorism and living abroad
What are common sense gun laws?
How to speak to someone who’s grieving
Where pain and joy intersect: On wholeness
Bakersfield Blonde 