"Each one has a heart right, Mommy?" Thoughts on what happened at Sandy Hook.

You'll notice, I haven't said anything about what happened last Friday. I just...couldn't yet. All I could do was cry...and cry...and cry...every time I read a new article, or saw it on the news, saw those sweet innocent faces--I couldn't help but cry.

I didn't know what to say, I was speechless. But my mind was running on overload. Like many I kept questioning...why?! Why...? and what can I possibly do to help? I felt so helpless.

But today, I heard about the snowflakes for Sandy. Instantly, I thought okay, let's make some! As I started cutting snowflakes with my young daughters, age 2 and 3. I began thinking okay well how many should we make?

Naturally I thought 26. I have told my daughters before that snowflakes are always special

because no two are the same, but I told them these snowflakes were going to be extra special, because each one was going to have a heart, to show our love from afar. So I made sure that each one had a heart somewhere on it, my daughters were involved and helped make sure of that too.

Within a couple hours, we had finished our 26 snowflakes.

I finished and counted...wait, 27. I was off one. Ava, my oldest daughter,  loves hearts so much that I thought--okay, Ava can play with the left over one but then Ava proceeded, "can we make just one more mommy?". By then it was past naptime so my first instinct was no, we need to get ready for nap. Ava pleaded again "Mommy, can we please just make one more, please?! We need one more heart one. Each one has a heart right, Mommy?" and with that she started sobbing. Probably a result of it being past naptime, but in my head I thought--you know what. She's right. She's 3, and she's right. It's...28 lives that were lost, his mother's life was lost...and Adam Lanza's was lost too.

We all are different, so very different. But, we are all similar in that we have hearts. Some big, some small, some so small you wouldn't even know it was there, but we do all have them, we all have feelings. And we are similar in that sense.

So maybe today smile at each person you pass, ask your friend if they need any help, give your parents a call. Donate something, do something GOOD. Quit trying to place blame, quit bashing each other's opinions (or better yet trying to change them)because they are different from yours, take responsibility and control of yourself...and yourself only.

Because, maybe, just maybe, at least one person will reach out for help, instead of reaching out to harm.

We live in a world where everyone has forgotten to take responsibility for themselves. You are one person, but you are capable of so much, yet we seem to forget that so fast. What good will I do? What good will smiling at one person do? The truth is, a lot. We just have seemed to forget that. We have forgotten how to be caring, we have learned to be "too busy" instead. Too busy to be nice, too busy to care, too busy to smile at someone as they walk by. We are quick to point out faults, but so slow to rejoice in each others successes. I feel that many think what they personally have going on in their life is always more important than what someone else does. That’s not true. We all have success and we all have trials and tribulations, and at one point or another--we all need help. And we all need to be able to go to each other for help.

We all need people to ASK us if we need help, we need others to smile at us, to make us feel welcome, make us feel loved, make us feel important, make us feel as if someone is there for help, if we needed it.

We are all humans, like snowflakes, no two are the same, yet we all have one thing in common, we all have hearts. Like each of these 28 snowflakes, some are so big you see them beaming a mile away, others you have to hunt for, but they are all there.

"Each one has a heart right, Mommy?"

Yes baby, we do.

…We’ve just forgotten how to use them.

I’m going to send our 27 snowflakes in remembrance of  the innocent victims--and 1 in symbolism of a nation that is hopefully about to make a big change for the better, if not, one for me, because I’m willing to take responsibility and make a change myself. I hope you are too. 

For further information and address of where to send snowflakes please see the following:

http://www.ctpta.org/SANDY-HOOK-FUND.html

♥
"I'm not a child, but my heart still can dream..."