Santa and Sandy Hook

 

The day of the Sandy Hook shooting I was feeling so uneasy.  My heart was broken for those parents who weren't going to be welcoming their little ones home from school that day.  The Christmas presents that were surely bought, wrapped and sitting under the tree would remain unopened.  I couldn't imagine sending my kids off to school in the morning and not having them come home.  I could hardly wait until the school bell rang to go pick them up and hug them extra tight.  We went straight to the mall to visit Santa.

I look at those sweet faces, full of Christmas anticipation, full of innocence and I can't imagine something happening to them.  At this point, they knew nothing of the horrible events of the day and I wanted more than anything to protect them from the knowledge of the pure evil that existed in their world.  I wasn't ready to tell them what happened.  I didn't have the words to explain to them why things like this occur.  I desperately wanted to keep them safe, physically and emotionally but I knew that they would need to know soon and I wanted them to hear it from me and their dad.

But that could all wait a couple days, right?  For this day, we just embraced the magic of Santa Claus.  We smiled, laughed, and let Stella run through the mall without a stroller.  We didn't hurry home for naps, friends, chores, homework or piano.  We went to Paradise for a treat and talked about innocent things like Christmas parties at school, friends, our favorite traditions, and wish lists. 

And this mama just held back tears and felt so incredibly blessed to call these safe, healthy babies mine.