I along with fellow Colorado residents woke up this morning to the sad news of another shooting. I’m sure many that are at least as old as me were transported to that day when there was breaking news of Columbine. My now 14 year-old teen was an infant as I, a new mom then, was trying to reconcile the world my child was born into…He of course does not remember that day as he connects with fellow teens on what has occurred today. I wonder what they are saying and how they comfort one another with their limited time on this planet. I’m not certain how the rest of us console one another.
I don’t know what experience in this world teaches us about these events. It is particularly hard to hear and understand when the victims are children. In this case, even a three-month old. Spiritually and as a mom, this is particularly difficult. I’m sure all moms would want to hug and hold this child’s mom along with the moms of the other children, such as a six year-old and fourteen year-old (that could have been my teen). One victim had survived a previous shooting. She had a strange feeling and had walked out of a mall just before the shooting.
A common difficult feeling most of us feel during times like these is that of helplessness. In this case, it occurred at midnight, when most of us were sleeping. It was the first thing I heard about when barely awake, before my first cup of coffee. But life had to go on, we had to get ready for work and get our daughter ready for daycare. As the day wore on, we learned more. The children that lost lives, from 3 months to 14 years. My child’s beloved daycare teacher’s husband was there, covering a teen boy with his body to shield him. A City of Aurora employee, my spouse can see the theater from his building at the Aurora Municipal Center. This tragedy will impact him and his colleagues even more. I imagine there would be permanent changes to their work culture and how they view their jobs and city.
It is strange to think I was just at the Aurora Municipal Center the previous weekend with our daughter to attend the city’s kid festival, “Kidspree,” where my husband was volunteering. There was a huge turn-out from Aurora and the focus was on innocence and fun for the kids. Some Aurora police officers were there, on their bikes, with not much to do but enjoy the event. Kids were on the karaoke machine back to back, belting out songs including those from Adele.
One of the thoughts that comes next for most us is regarding what, if anything, we can do. From a big picture, it is challenging. How can such a tragedy be prevented? Are the violent movies to blame? Is there inadequate or not enough mental health services? How and why did this student get to this stage? Is this another case of a “lost” boy as mentioned during Columbine? Are we not taking adequate care of some of our boys so they can grow up to be caring and responsible members of society? These are tough, complicated questions with probable tough, complicated answers. At the same time, such questions and others should be asked and answers should be sought, however complicated they may be.
In the meantime, there are pragmatic, immediate actions that can be done to help if desired. The American Red Cross Mile High Chapter is seeking donations to help the families displaced or hurt by this violence. The Bonfils Blood Center is requesting donations of O-Negative and A-Negative blood to help them restore their bank following the numerous surgeries related to injuries sustained during the shooting.
This tragedy reminds us to hold our loved ones close, count our blessings, and to be appreciative of our fragile time here.
