Residents there just call it "12/14". It joins 9/11, 11/26, and so many other such dates from all over the world. For anyone living in the United States, mentioning "Newtown" brings back that day.
The shock waves still ripple through that town in Connecticut. Parents whose children were killed or wounded. Teachers, first responders and other witnesses. Every time there is another mass shooting, the memories come flooding back. Some have moved. Some just want to forget.
Some residents have found comfort in activism and working for gun control. Others comfort the newest victims of our senseless gun violence. Whatever your thoughts about gun control, you must respect those who lived through 12/14.
But there are also those who believe the Sandy Hook shooting never happened. Some of them even stoop to harassing the families of those killed. For those, I can only wish the pain still suffered by those impacted by Newtown could be lifted from their shoulders and deposited on the shoulders of those who think it's all made up. I won't bother linking to any of those stories.
As a resident of the Binghamton, New York area (we had our own mass shooting on April 3, 2009) this resounds in so many ways.
We in Binghamton have a personal stake in the memories of Newtown/Sandy Hook, too. A resident of our area, Mary Sherlach (the Sandy Hook school psychologist) died in the 12/14/12 shooting.
She had worked at Sandy Hook Elementary for 18 years, and died trying to protect students from the gunman.
So what else can be said? The town avoids public memorials. They don't want to be defined by the horror one individual brought on its residents. The school was demolished and rebuilt nearby.
A tree, growing blocks from that shooting venue, bears witness to our strength. Life is within that tree, and come next spring, the tree will spring to life, unfurl its leaves, bloom, and gather sunlight in green leaves.
May all those affected by the Newtown shootings find peace.
What a sad day it must have been and even more so for the families who lost loved ones. Peace and light to all.
ReplyDeleteI agree - peace and light to all.
DeleteMass shootings are a HORRIBLE tragedy of the 21st century! It ranks high, right up there with wild fires, tornadoes, and hurricanes. Only thing..mass shootings are man-made disasters. MY heart aches for all those who have lost loved ones in a a mass shooting. May they all find peace.
ReplyDeleteYes, I can not even begin to imagine their pain. May they all find peace.
DeleteI echo your sentiments. I hope they find peace.
ReplyDeleteThank you.
DeleteAnd, the biggest tragedy (travesty?) is that Congress does nothing to protect us. Oh, wait. They passed a law to let folks from nutso states that have no regulation use their concealed carry permission to torment those of us who finally convinced our own legislators to preclude such stupidity.
ReplyDeleteTo me, that legislation - why? Why?
DeleteI cannot thank you enough for writing this post and sharing the tree picture, Alana. Sadness and grief and that vacuum in the hearts of everyone who loses a loved one to such brutality is hard to compensate for but perhaps we can all find strength and comfort in the fact that life still goes on and just as death does, life too is as much a part of that inevitability of life. And life must go on.
ReplyDeleteBeautifully said, Esha.
Delete5 years... It's hard to believe. I heard that this morning, and I thought how old those kids would be today. And it just made me sad.
ReplyDeleteYes, thinking of what each of them may have been - perhaps one may have found the cure for cancer, or for Alzheimer's - we will never know the extent of this loss.
DeleteMay those people hurt in shootings get peace. The trees teach that life should go on.
ReplyDeleteLife does go on - may the pain decrease with the passage of time.
DeleteGood image, using the tree's lesson. Massed shootings are a shocking tragedy that affects so many innocent lives. Sue Loncaric guests post on the topic, Link Parties.
ReplyDeleteThats so so sad. The bare tree symbolises the stresses we go through but we have to go on like this tree. May those suffering draw strength from Nature.
ReplyDeleteSuch a tragedy and the tree stands witness to that horrific day. May such tragedies never happen.
ReplyDeleteOh God, I felt the pain in your post, and only pray that all those who have died, may rest in peace and those who have lost their loved ones find strength. Well said with an apt image, the tree stands strong, and change is expected... peace to you..
ReplyDelete