Three years ago, I would have just been like "Wow, this world is a crazy place", and I would have felt horrible for the victims and their families, but now I have two children of my own and I'm seeing this totally different than I would have before. One of my children is 14 months and the other will be 3 in January. When I heard this news this morning, my heart sunk and I was (and still am) sick to my stomach. This one hits very close to home. All I can think about is how much I love my children and what these poor families must be going through. I've been hugging my babies extra tight today.
I remember watching coverage of the Columbine shooting with the blood stained exterior walls where the kids had climbed out windows and all of the gruesome sights that the media showed. Being one year removed from high school myself at the time, it hit close to my heart. All I could think about was how the victims were around my age and what an awful thing this had to be for kids my age to experience.
My thoughts of the Columbine tragedy were thoughts of sadness and fear. My thoughts today were totally different. When I look at the footage of the parents carrying their surviving baby away from the school with terrified looks on the children's faces and the daddies hugging tightly to their babies as they carry them home, I just feel awful.
I think about the families who are going to have to go home and look at the stocking on the mantle with the name of their baby who won't be waking up bright and early on the 25th to see what Santa left in it. I think about how every time I look around me there is some kind of reminder of my babies. These parents will have to go home to pictures on the walls, school work on the fridge, empty cars eats and booster seats in their cars, bikes that won't be ridden anymore sitting in their garages, fruit snacks in the pantry that won't be eaten, and memory upon memory of their baby who won't be coming home. I hope and pray that all these parents realize that Jesus Christ loves the little children and I hope they find comfort in knowing that around 9:30 this morning, he was waiting there to take each of these precious babies in his arms.
24 hours ago, I was on here complaining about wvu pictures on a restaraunt wall, and little did I know that something horrible like this was going to happen that puts into perspective what life is really about. I'm sure many of you feel the same way.