We had a great time on Friday evening. The event was held at a local museum and it was such a neat place. I kept feeling like I was in the movie National Treasure where they have the black tie benefit at the Smithsonian. We didn't get to see most of the museum and understandably so, I mean, no one wants a bunch of drunk people running around stealing dinosaur bones and fossils. I know you're curious, so here goes. I didn't wear the dress I ordered. It's a beautiful dress, but it looked like crap on me. I was beyond irritated and in a fit of rage and desperation, crammed myself into a dress I already had (in my defense, it fit okay) and just said the hell with it. It was fine, and really, after a drink or two, who really cares anyway? Alcohol always makes for such an interesting evening.
I know it's been on my mind since I heard the news on Friday and I'm sure you're feeling much the same. I've started this post at least five times only to find myself at a loss for words. I am still so utterly shocked and saddened by the events in Newtown, Connecticut. It's taken me until today to even figure out how to approach talking about it. But, the fact remains that we need to talk about it. I watched some of the nondenominational ceremony on Sunday evening (with a bottle of wine, it was my coping mechanism) and I was truly touched by President Obama's remarks. I still can't fathom how those families, friends etc must be feeling because I know I feel like I'm choking everytime I see a picture of one of those beautiful babies. My god, they were just babies. The staff at Sandy Hook was simply amazing and all involved are on my heart. As an educator, I'd hope that I would have been as brave and fast on my feet given the same circumstances.
I saw a post somewhere on Facebook over the weekend it's really made an impact on me. It went something like this: If you're not angry, you're not paying attention. Truer words have never been spoken. I know I'm furious. I guess it's human nature to try and rationalize what happened. There are multifaceted issues here, all important pieces to the puzzle that we will most likely never complete. I think the part that makes me the most angry is the role media has played and continues to play. I wish to god they would stop sensationalizing these acts of violence. Everyone is so damn anxious to be the first to get the story out, without regard to accurate information. Reporting and journalism as a whole have gone out the window since 9/11. Breaking news is no longer that, just speculation most of the time. I really, really wish the media would just let law enforcement do their job and stop trying to be "the hero". The constant questions, interviews with people 1/1000th related to a case are just overkill. The line has to be drawn. And please, oh please, just let these families grieve without a camera being shoved in their face.
As a nation, we have some really tough questions to ask in the coming days and weeks. Guns are obviously a topic near the top of the list, but I think more importantly is the subject of mental illness. No, we don't know exactly what was going on in the mind of the attacker, but honestly, I hope that he was very, very ill because I can't imagine doing this in cold blood. Mental illness has such a stigma in this country. We need to accept that we can't just shun people with mental illness out of society and lock them away somewhere. Ignorance feeds hate and we certainly don't need anymore of that. As a former special education teacher, I worked with students that had mental illnesses on a daily basis. It's not easy and often very frustrating, but at the end of the day, everyone deserves to be treated as a person. I hope this incident sparks a movement to better educate our country on how to deal with those that need our help the most.
You're on my heart, Newtown. America, I'm praying for you to get this one right. Twenty angels are counting on us all.
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