Every time there is a tragedy like the loss of life that occurred yesterday, I see my Facebook page light up with people asking the media to please not say “their” name.
While I agree wholeheartedly that this is a horrible way to earn your 15 minutes of fame, and the media gives way too much attention to the shooter and not nearly enough to the victim. I always find myself thinking about those of us who have “their” picture in our yearbook, who have friends who grew up down the street and used to play with “them” and the teacher crying in the hallway feeling guilty for not reaching out more to that child they recognized as troubled.
I didn’t have a good answer in 1999 when we were asking ourselves how/if to remember “them”. It was different for us then, Columbine was the first… we did’t know what to do or how to respond any better back then. These types of shootings have become far too commonplace and the way the world interacts with each other has changed so drastically.
Today we ask ourselves the same question, should we remember “him”? In the last couple years my heart keeps coming back to the Mother. This morning 11 Mothers are morning their children, 11 Mothers are hurting and confused.
1 Mother is mourning a child the rest of the world wants to forget. As a Mom my heart breaks for her. I honestly can’t wrap my head around ever loosing a child- no matter what age and stage they were. Raising a child is not easy and it’s literally like leaving part of your heart outside of your body. You want nothing but the very best for your child. I’ve known Mothers who have had to bury their children- infants, kids and adults. It never gets easier no matter how old they are. Loosing a child in a manner such is really beyond the scope of anything I could process.
Today my heart hurts for all those who have been taken in all these senseless tragedies. All those days where we’re left asking “why” and news shows debate what “should” be done next. I have no idea how/if we should remember “him” but I can’t imagine being the Mother of the Child the World Wants to Forget.
Say a prayer for her today. And all the Mother’s who raised children the World forgot.
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