Even those who question the existence of God can have no doubt that evil is real and in the world, because it came to a place that offered safety and security, an elementary school filled with adults who gave the last and fullest measure of devotion to save those least able to save themselves, the children.
Six years after the inconceivable tragedy at Sandy Hook I don’t pretend to have insights into why what happened in Newtown happened at all. All I can offer is to hold the parents, siblings, and friends of those who were murdered in my thoughts as the survivors hold them in their hearts. I'd pray for better days for them and for us but hope for better days may have been among the casualties at Sandy Hook Elementary School.
Newtown should remind us to examine our lives and decide what is truly important. But for any number of reasons we don't seem to like the idea of a reminder. Instead, we see every incident of inchoate violence since the murder of innocents this day six years ago as an isolated singular event, rather than as larger and unending episodes of anger and rage so profound we still dare not speak of causes and solutions because our emotions are still too raw or as we tell ourselves, ‘it’s too soon.’
Except, it's not soon; it's too late, much too late for six young teachers and twenty even younger children and grieving relatives who put very small coffins into the cold, cold earth, during the holiday season six years ago and who will carry until their dying day a hole in their hearts that time cannot and will not ever heal.
We’ll have (every) other day of this year and all the years that remain to argue about 'what's important.' And that's fine by me as long as we can finally and fully agree: today is a day to pause and hold our loved ones closer and see in their eyes a reflection of who we must become to make and to be the difference in the world, today and every day.
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