I know I usually try to keep the blog upbeat and about the daily adventures of Parker and Riley. But I feel like I would be doing an injustice to ignore one of the most impactful things to have happen this year. I believe that the tragedy in Newtown, CT will be something that I will remember for a very long time - possibly the rest of my life. I believe it will be one of those events, like 9/11, that I will always remember where I was when I heard the news. Incidentally, I was in the commissary parking lot when I saw the notice on Facebook. At the time we had no idea that there would be 20 children who would lose their lives along with 6 educators who were trying to protect them. All I remember was saying a prayer and wondering - as so many did - how this could happen. We will never truly know or understand what led to that horrific day. I cry each time I think of those little lives and how they were taken from us so close to Christmas. I grieve for the families who lost their babies, their sisters, their brothers. I feel like in the days after Newtown we all became parents. I know that I was hugging Parker and Riley tighter and kissing them more. Parker probably got to stay up a little bit later and eat a few more sweets. I realized again how trivial some things are and the blessing of reading my little man a book at night before bed truly is that - a blessing. I think that we all were looking for ways to somehow send our love to the people of Newtown and help in any way that we could. I read of a church in town that was accepting handmade hearts to decorate the town, shop windows, etc. and I thought that was a perfect activity to do with Parker. Of course he has no knowledge of what happened that terrible day, but I told him we were sending the hearts off to other little boys and girls.
We did a heart for Parker and a heart for Riley.
Parker drew the rocketship on the heart. Really - all by himself! He said that they were his favorite so he wanted to share with other boys and girls.
We also drew some trains because they are his other favorite - Mommy helped draw those.
Finally we covered them all in glitter and let them dry.
I read in an updated article later that the church of Newtown was inundated with the hearts and they were asking people to stop sending them - they couldn't keep up and it was too overwhelming. But, I am not sad our hearts didn't make it to Newtown. I will be saving these hearts. They will go in the keepsake boxes that Ma Pat gave to Parker and Riley. They will be our reminder of how very lucky we are. I will keep them so that I always do remember that day and keep the memory of those little children and brave adults in my own heart.
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