I am heartbroken.
Like most of you, I was horrified when 19 elementary school students and two teachers at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas were the victims of gun violence in their classroom barricaded by a gunman yesterday.
I was horrified. Still am. Angry. Still am.
Because I have lost a child, I know the devastating road of grief these families must now travel.
A parent never gets over losing a child, and I doubt these families will either.
My son passed away from an unexpected illness, the result of his cerebral palsy.
These children were gunned down in their classroom.
Stay with that for a moment
That reality complicates what is already an unbelievably difficult loss and grieving process.
Rather than our voicing thoughts and prayers, it’s time for collective action.
We must do a better job of protecting all our citizens, especially the most vulnerable and innocent among us.
Our children.
How about we voice our outrage instead and use that fuel for positive change?
How about the people we the people sent to Washington start doing their jobs?
Nowhere else in the world has the kind of gun violence this country does.
It’s time we started placing the value of children above power, greed, and our obsession with guns.
The question is, will we?
If we continue to look away and do nothing, there will be more such carnage.
Next time, it may be your child or family member.
It might be you.
Stay with that for minute.
We need to stop this insanity now.
Long overdue.
Please, do your part.
Raise your voice, too.
We need true leadership and real courage in this country.
Maybe if we all speak loudly enough, with true conviction, real change will come.
That’s my heartfelt prayer anyway.
For all our children.
We must do better for them.
For the sake of us all.