My heart is heavy

First the good news... On a very personal level, this week was great. We sold our house and we have the burden of paying for two homes lifted. Soon we will be able to start shopping for our Colorado home.
But the happiness and relief I was feeling from this personal joy was quickly replaced with great sorrow for the tragedy that occurred in Newtown on Friday. I do not think a news story has ever saddened me the way this news story has... Not Columbine, or 9/11 or the Challenger Disaster. I clearly remember where I was and what I was doing when all of those news stories broke. But I hope I will never live to hear a sadder story than the Sandy Hook Elementary Massacre. Maybe because I taught first grade and I can picture myself in the same shoes as those teachers. Or maybe because I am a mother who sends her children off to school every day thinking we will see each other eight hours later. I actually need to stop reading the news because it is paralyzing me with sadness.

I try not to turn social media into political platforms. But I do wish someone could explain to me what sane reason anyone needs to own a semiautomatic? Honestly. There just comes no good of a weapon like that in the hands of civilians. How many more innocent people need to die before they admit that the second amendment was not intended for weapons like this? The only hope I have is that the awfulness of this event will make congress, and more importantly our special interest groups, (since they seem to have the real power) realize that our so called rights have gone way too far when someone acquires the means to burst into a school and assassinate six year olds.

Like everyone else I am grasping for some good that can come of this. Laurel stated the obvious- that if we can't feel safe at school, where can we feel safe? I replied that maybe, just maybe the awfulness of this event will force people to stop being so political and finally do what is right.
This week I was not surprised to learn that Teachers stand up to a gun man when the time comes to protect their students. But will Congress stand up to the NRA?