For days all the news has seemed to focus on is the Connecticut elementary school horror. I find myself with a lump in the back of my throat & tears on my face every time I hear one of the stories, see a picture of a murdered child or teacher, listen to a tribute from a performing artist or hear a portion of one of the eulogies ... quite honestly the entire thing is heartbreaking. I cannot begin to imagine how the families of the students and staff that were gunned down, or the children that survived, or even the people who simply live in that town feel. It must be heart stopping. There are simply not enough words to express the shock, horror, sadness, and sorrow that we all feel for Newtown, Connecticut, and they must surely feel in the aftermath of what occurred there.
Here's the thing, especially in this, the season of goodwill and giving, the focus should be on remembering the victims of this tragedy. The children that needlessly died. The staff that gave their lives to keep the children safe. The staff that survived keeping students safe. The brave beyond their years kids who survived & will live the rest of their lives with the memory that day. The families of both those who perished and those who lived. The townspeople that came to assist whether they had children in that school or not. These are the folks that deserve our thoughts, our prayers, our efforts, and our focus. Not the gunman. Regardless of his reasons or issues, focusing on him and remembering his name instead of those whose lives he disrupted is not only disrespectful, but shows a blatant lack of empathy towards everyone affected by his actions.
Charlotte Bacon, age 6 - she loved school, wearing dresses, the color pink, and every animal she met
Daniel Barden, age 7 - he had formed a band with his siblings that he played the drums in
Rachel D'Avino, age 29 - her position as a behavioral therapist working with autistic children was her absolute passion
Olivia Engel, age 6 - she loved art, dance and musical theater, played tennis and soccer, swam, and was a Girl Scout
Dylan Hockley, age 6 - loved playing video games, jumping on the trampoline & watching movies while eating garlic bread
Chase Kowalski, age 7 - completed his first triathlon at age 6, played baseball, and was a Cub Scout
Dawn Lafferty Hochsprung, age 47 - Sandy Hook's principal who was loved by all the students, and had just begun working on her Ph.D.
Jesse Lewis, age 6 - he loved math, riding horses, and playing at his mother's farm
Ana Marquez-Greene, age 6 - loved singing while her brother played the piano
James Mattioli, age 6 - nicknamed "J", he liked to wear shorts and t-shirts in any weather, ride his bike, and swim in his grandfather's pool
Grace McDonnell, age 7 - she loved art, playing dress up, gymnastics, soccer, and her spaniel named Puddin'
Anne Marie Murphy, age 52 - a married mother of four, she died covering the bodies of children in her classroom in an attempt to shield them from the bullets
Emilie Parker, age 6 - carried her markers and pencils everywhere and never missed an opportunity to draw a picture or make a card for someone
Jack Pinto, age 6 - was a huge NY Giants fan whose idol was Victor Cruz, and loved baseball, basketball, wrestling and snow skiing
Noah Pozner, age 6 - loved playing with his twin sister and his cousins
Jessica Rekos, age 6 - she loved everything about horses and wanted Santa to bring her new cowgirl boots and a cowgirl hat this year
Avielle Richman, age 6 - was happiest when she was riding horses and had just gotten her first loose tooth
Lauren Rousseau, age 30 - was a permanent substitute teacher at Sandy Hook, fulfilling her dream since kindergarten to become a teacher
Mary Sherlach, age 56 - a wife and mother of two grown daughters, and the school's psychologist, was meeting with a parent when they heard the gunshots and she ran into the hall to assist
Victoria Soto, age 27 - a first grade teacher at Sandy Hook, who immediately moved her students away from the doors to safety before being gunned down protecting them
Benjamin Wheeler, age 6 - was always following his father around in the yard, handing him tools and helping
Nancy Lanza, age 52 - was known for the game nights she hosted, the holiday decorations she put up at her house, and enjoyed gardening
Josephine Gay, age 7 - had just celebrated her birthday three days prior, and was looking forward to her birthday party the next day
Madeleine Hsu, age 6 - she loved reading, running, and dancing, and was known for her sunny, happy personality
Catherine Hubbard, age 6 - was a passionate animal lover and was known for her constant smile
Caroline Previdi, age 6 - she took ballet and jazz classes and tended to dance everywhere she went
Allison Wyatt, age 6 - she was a doting big sister and an avid artist who'd turned her room into a studio
Rest In Peace, Newest Christmas Angels. It's YOUR names and lives that should be remembered.
Peace on Earth, Goodwill Towards Men.
~ The Girl In The Little Black Dress
Here's the thing, especially in this, the season of goodwill and giving, the focus should be on remembering the victims of this tragedy. The children that needlessly died. The staff that gave their lives to keep the children safe. The staff that survived keeping students safe. The brave beyond their years kids who survived & will live the rest of their lives with the memory that day. The families of both those who perished and those who lived. The townspeople that came to assist whether they had children in that school or not. These are the folks that deserve our thoughts, our prayers, our efforts, and our focus. Not the gunman. Regardless of his reasons or issues, focusing on him and remembering his name instead of those whose lives he disrupted is not only disrespectful, but shows a blatant lack of empathy towards everyone affected by his actions.
Daniel Barden, age 7 - he had formed a band with his siblings that he played the drums in
Rachel D'Avino, age 29 - her position as a behavioral therapist working with autistic children was her absolute passion
Olivia Engel, age 6 - she loved art, dance and musical theater, played tennis and soccer, swam, and was a Girl Scout
Dylan Hockley, age 6 - loved playing video games, jumping on the trampoline & watching movies while eating garlic bread
Chase Kowalski, age 7 - completed his first triathlon at age 6, played baseball, and was a Cub Scout
Dawn Lafferty Hochsprung, age 47 - Sandy Hook's principal who was loved by all the students, and had just begun working on her Ph.D.
Jesse Lewis, age 6 - he loved math, riding horses, and playing at his mother's farm
Ana Marquez-Greene, age 6 - loved singing while her brother played the piano
James Mattioli, age 6 - nicknamed "J", he liked to wear shorts and t-shirts in any weather, ride his bike, and swim in his grandfather's pool
Grace McDonnell, age 7 - she loved art, playing dress up, gymnastics, soccer, and her spaniel named Puddin'
Anne Marie Murphy, age 52 - a married mother of four, she died covering the bodies of children in her classroom in an attempt to shield them from the bullets
Emilie Parker, age 6 - carried her markers and pencils everywhere and never missed an opportunity to draw a picture or make a card for someone
Jack Pinto, age 6 - was a huge NY Giants fan whose idol was Victor Cruz, and loved baseball, basketball, wrestling and snow skiing
Noah Pozner, age 6 - loved playing with his twin sister and his cousins
Jessica Rekos, age 6 - she loved everything about horses and wanted Santa to bring her new cowgirl boots and a cowgirl hat this year
Avielle Richman, age 6 - was happiest when she was riding horses and had just gotten her first loose tooth
Lauren Rousseau, age 30 - was a permanent substitute teacher at Sandy Hook, fulfilling her dream since kindergarten to become a teacher
Mary Sherlach, age 56 - a wife and mother of two grown daughters, and the school's psychologist, was meeting with a parent when they heard the gunshots and she ran into the hall to assist
Victoria Soto, age 27 - a first grade teacher at Sandy Hook, who immediately moved her students away from the doors to safety before being gunned down protecting them
Benjamin Wheeler, age 6 - was always following his father around in the yard, handing him tools and helping
Nancy Lanza, age 52 - was known for the game nights she hosted, the holiday decorations she put up at her house, and enjoyed gardening
Josephine Gay, age 7 - had just celebrated her birthday three days prior, and was looking forward to her birthday party the next day
Madeleine Hsu, age 6 - she loved reading, running, and dancing, and was known for her sunny, happy personality
Catherine Hubbard, age 6 - was a passionate animal lover and was known for her constant smile
Caroline Previdi, age 6 - she took ballet and jazz classes and tended to dance everywhere she went
Allison Wyatt, age 6 - she was a doting big sister and an avid artist who'd turned her room into a studio
Rest In Peace, Newest Christmas Angels. It's YOUR names and lives that should be remembered.
Peace on Earth, Goodwill Towards Men.
~ The Girl In The Little Black Dress
