on saturday, it didn't seem right to be blogging about sewing, it didn't seem right to be playing christmas music, it didn't seem right to watch an endless parade of santas and elves walk down our street, on their merry way to santa con. i had planned to catch pictures of them for y'all, but that didn't seem right either.
there are so very many things wrong in the world.
on sunday, i decorated a christmas tree with my parents and beautiful nephews, and that did seem right.
and maybe if we do enough things right, the wrong will get better.
really sad thing .. i think it shocked the world...
ReplyDeletei don't know if the wrong will get better, but if we do the right things enough, i think we'll be a more interconnected society that will find it hard to pull the trigger on one of our own. :(
ReplyDeletei feel loke the things we can do are just a tiny bandaid, but a bandaid nonetheless... and i do like your way of thinking. it should make it harder.
Deletei think its time we talk about guns and mental health with the same public service effort we do about vaccinations, smoking and drunk driving. i don't see the gun culture in my part of the country changing but i also never thought you would see bars you didn't smoke in or a law that required you to wear a seat belt. its time.
ReplyDeleteexcellent point, really i never thought smoking would be banned. why can't we change the gun culture if big tobacco was fought?
DeleteI agree! It is definitely time. I have been having this debate all weekend.
DeleteI agree with this as well.
DeleteHonestly, I don't see things changing. Every time some mad man shoots up a place, the conversation starts and then it stalls because the gun lobbyists and gun proponents don't want guns legislated and will fight to all of our deaths to prevent it from happening...and sadly it is. This week 6 & 7 years old were on the front line of that fight in a town that strongly believed in the right to bear arms.
ReplyDeletethis is how i felt when i watched the president speaking yesterday--but steptrig made a great point about the legislative changes in smoking... i hope our man can do some real good here. this happens too, too often.
DeleteI don't think this post was about politics so I'll refrain from sharing my opinion. I just wanted to say I know how you feel. It doesn't seem right to engage in the usual activities, but I am grateful that my kids are here.
ReplyDeleteyes, you got me--mainly i'm trying to figure out how to do the normal things in strange times. but politically, i just wish we could do better at keeping kids safe, whatever that takes.
DeleteI agree. For me it's going back to home schooling them.
DeleteI can just keep doing the right things as much as I can. I'm not sure about the wrong getting better - wish that I had the answer. I couldn't even wrap Christmas presents Saturday. The whole thing is so sad.
ReplyDeletei have it in my head that if we all keep doing the right things, something shifts. physics, right?
DeleteI'm right there with you. It's such a heartbreaking story, and it's hard to believe that things like this will ever stop happening. I spent the whole day Saturday just sitting on my couch, feeling too weary to do anything.
ReplyDeletei'm deciding to do the things i can, including the things that make me happy--if i'm a happier person, it must help in some way.
DeleteIt's all so amazing. I vow to wrap myself in all that is good in the world.
ReplyDeletei love that, christine.
DeleteI just dropped my kid off at preschool and am feeling panicky. What a world we live in. Things can change. It has in other countries. And there are many sensible folks in the U.S. too.
ReplyDeletei can't imagine how you feel. i know that everyone's minds are concentrated on stopping something like this from ever happening again. small solace--and this has to be eye opening in terms of change, to say the least.
Deletei've been thinking of those poor kids and families all weekend. i have two school age children (and two not there yet) and i put them on the bus with more than a little trepidation. one of mine is a first grader even. and i hated that i had to tell them about what happened. i'm still choking up about it, it's just so sad. but i tell my kids--be kind to everyone, you never know what difference you can make to another person.
ReplyDeletei try to remind myself about the kind part all the time.
DeleteI felt a bit dumb blog posting this morning without a mention of the terrible tragedy that happened this weekend and how sad it made me as well. If I do have kids it would indeed be hard to drop them anywhere without worrying. I agree with Christine, the best we can do is wrap ourselves in positivity.
ReplyDeletebut you have to keep doing the things you do, maybe something changes, but something good like keeping positive...
DeleteSo with you Oona! I had planned on posting a cheery Christmas stocking post. I felt so guilty blogging about making stockings for my family when so many families were grieving. I didn't post them yet.
ReplyDeletei think i'm going to post something holiday-ish today. i haven't felt weird towards seeing others post as normal, in fact it was nice to have something else to focus on.
DeleteI usually feel a thankful detachment from the violence that happens in other countries, but not this time. My son is 7 and in 1st grade (première année). When I heard the news at work, all I could think of was being one of those parents standing outside who were waiting, waiting, waiting....and I almost threw up. To kill someone's future is unforgiveable.
ReplyDeleteAs a nation, to not do anything within your power to prevent it ever happening again is equally unforgiveable.
yes. in this worst of events, not changing would be, i can't even think about it. let's hope our man can do it.
DeleteEven on the otherside of the world, in a small small country, we feel your sadness. I watched a news story that said how little kids are drilled on what to do in case...that...happens and I thought, "wow, here in my small world, when I was wee, we were drilled on what to do in case an earthquake stuck" the difference just made me feel sad, such a little word to describe such a heart wrenching emotion
ReplyDeletehow is it possible? earthquakes, and mad men. mad is a little word too...
DeleteI believe the whole world wept this weekend in disbelief. I couldn't talk about it at the school where I work with my colleges today because it still makes me cry. Focussing on my sewing project helped me cope with a terribly sad weekend and a heart that aches for the families and school involved.
ReplyDeletelast night in ballet, my teacher started to talk about it and i wanted to run out of the room. but, i know it needs to be said. it's just almost impossible to move when you think about it.
DeleteThis weekend was a very sad weekend, especially since I was staying in Connecticut so there was no escaping the constant news stream about it. You just have to keep on loving those around you and that's all you can do, make them feel loved and good and hope that they pass the love on.
ReplyDeleteyes, and it will grow exponentially.
DeleteI just focussed on my kids all weekend. It was hard because every time I hugged my kids or did something fun with them I thought of those poor mothers and broke down. I have a 6 and 7 year old as well as a 10 year old. I am aching for those mothers. I wish I could help them....
ReplyDeleteI did tell them about what happened. My 7 year old just wanted to make sure we were never moving to Connecticut and I did not have the heart to tell her it could happen anywhere. My 10 year old has asked a few questions. I told him to please ask any questions he has and that I will answer. The kids in his class apparently talked about it a lot amongst themselves.
I dropped them off at the bus yesterday and then proceeded to drive past their school like 10 times yesterday. Scary world.
Thanks for the post Oona...I'm glad you were able to spend the day with your nephew!
you're very welcome. spending the day with my nephews actually made me forget about it for awhile. as you know, kids are amazing like that.
Deletereally sad and scary. i really hope as a tribute to those kids that it prompts a change in gun legislation in the US. it won't bring them back but perhaps it will stop it happening again. as the poster above says if it can happen with smoking, it can happen with guns.
ReplyDeletei keep turning back to that-- they did it with smoking, they did it with smoking. they will do it here...
DeleteThe horror of it resounds all across the globe, even here in Italy. My daughter is 7 too, so I could feel the pain by simply seeing myself in the shoes of those mothers. My heart goes out to them all.
ReplyDeleteit's connecting everyone in a very sad way. with the world watching i don't see how we can sit on our hands.
DeleteYes, m'am. I'm with you. I think focusing on positivity and what is right is so, so important right now. I just heard about the 26 acts of kindness campaign yesterday. Such a great idea.
ReplyDeletei have to find this, i've had limited web time lately...
DeleteMe too. That's part of the reason I've been insanely focused on dollies, especially earlier in the week. I had to do something, anything, something nice with my girl. The worst part about this whole thing is the word "*another* school shooting. It has to stop.
ReplyDeletei truly think it's good that we're turning to each other in a kind way with this, and the next step, yes, is something has GOT to change. this was more than enough years ago when it first happened.
DeleteWell said. Praying for a peaceful 2013.
ReplyDelete