Monday, December 24, 2012

Remembering Sandy Hook Elementary School

It was Friday, December 14, 2012. My Birthday. 
Yet it did not seem like anything worth celebrating. 
I was, like everyone else, on my iPhone, pouring over all the news reports regarding the devastating shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School. Trying to focus on work. That was not an easy task.
 Sandy Hook is a beautiful quiet little town about 15 minutes from where I grew up. It was shocking, to say the least, to hear that there was a shooting. And then the bad news just kept getting worse. It was not just a shooting, it was a complete massacre. Senseless. And it was children. So many children. And their teachers, their protectors, their angels. 
The tears are still coming as I type this. 

You see, I also have a 6 year old. Who I can't imagine living without. I can't imagine the pain that these parents and families are suffering right now, being Christmas and all on top of it. 
This just hit home for me. And so I grieve, along with this entire country. I am deeply saddened and in so much agony trying to figure out WHY this has happened. And why these beautiful babies and their teachers were taken from all of us in such a horrible way. I have concluded that their lives, however short, had so much meaning. I can't believe the outpouring of love and support that I've seen in the past week. People doing random acts of kindness, bonding together and HELPING each other. Is this what it takes??

In an effort to wrap my head around this and to deal with the intense sadness I feel, I have designed a special ring to honor the memory of these precious people who died that day. For whatever reason, they were needed elsewhere. To serve a better purpose, and I will never forget any of them. Even though I did not personally know any of them. They will remain in my heart forever. And with each birthday I celebrate from this year forward, I will celebrate their lives as well. 

I have only made 26 of these rings. One for each life lost. They are $10/each and I will be donating 100% of the money to a charity that will benefit Sandy Hook Elementary School. I'll update you which one I choose, as there are SO many of them popping up all over the place right now, I want to make sure that the money goes to help the victims families. I know it's not a lot, but it's my way to share in the healing process too. It seemed endless. The process of making these rings. They just kept coming. I cried over each one. And prayed.

 So please help me remember these beautiful people who were so much braver than I feel I would have been...
Charlotte Bacon, 6; Daniel Barden, 7; Rachel Davino, 29; Olivia Engel, 6

Josephine Gay, 7; Ana Marquez-Greene, 6; Dylan Hockley, 6; Dawn Hochsprung, 47

Madeleine Hsu, 6; Catherine Hubbard, 6; Chase Kowalski, 7; Jesse Lewis, 6

James Mattioli, 6; Grace McDonnell, 7; Anne Marie Murphy, 52; Emilie Parker, 6

Jack Pinto, 6; Noah Pozner, 6; Caroline Previdi, 6; Jessica Rekos, 6

Avielle Richman, 6; Lauren Rousseau, 30; Mary Sherlach, 56; Victoria Soto,27

Benjamin Wheeler, 6; Allison Wyatt, 6

May you all Rest In Peace. 
You will never be forgotten.