A Heartbreak That Never Goes Away
Today is the third Sunday of Advent. It's known as Gaudete Sunday, which comes from the Latin word for rejoice, marking a joyful pause in the Christmas season.
Yet today is anything but joyful. Today is not a day to rejoice as we witnessed yet another school shooting just yesterday. Two are dead, and multiple people are wounded, after a shooting Saturday afternoon at Brown University in Providence, R.I. This, as they say in the news business, is a developing story.
Rhode Island's governor said the unthinkable has happened. But unthinkable is hardly the word I'd use. Sadly, the story of violence in our nation is an all too common story. It's not unthinkable. It's on every parent's mind. It's on the mind of every person I talk to.
It's very much a developing story. And so is the story unfolding halfway around the world as gunviolence rocked Sydney, Australia just hours ago. But it also feels like a never-ending story. It's a story with no end in sight.
Today also happens to be the 13th anniversary of the Sandy Hook Elementary school shooting. Now that was unthinkable when it happened. It's still unthinkable, but amazingly, some version of it keeps happening.
And I guess it will keep happening until we, the people, have had enough and push our lawmakers to do something. We need to push for common-sense gun control. We need to push for more support for mental health services. And we need to push to have a national conversation that might bring us together.
That shouldn't be unthinkable, but somehow it feels unthinkable that we can find a solution that people can come together around. It feels unthinkable that there is even a solution that people could rejoice around.
At the start of this week, we reached out to Dr. Laura Berman to interview Nicole Hockley, who lost her child in Sandy Hook. Laura herself lost her own child almost four years ago. So we thought they could help us all understand how to support people in their situation and how to talk to them—what to say and what not to say.
And so today, more families are reeling with the news that someone they loved dearly yesterday is not here today. That kind of heartbreak is known to people like Dr. Laura Berman and Nicole Hockley. That kind of heartbreak never goes away.
So on this Sunday, while people are celebrating with holiday parties and gatherings, may we all pause somberly to remember that so many amongst us are living through different realities. So many amongst us are dealing with epic heartbreak and epic amounts of fear. They are dealing with unknown futures and fragile presents. It's unthinkable that we can't come together—all of us—and make progress. It's unthinkable that this continues to happen.
Support for families and parents shouldn't be controversial. Compassion is the only thing I can think of at a moment such as this. That's something we can all offer one another today and every day forward.
Prayer of the Week
Dear God,
Help us soften our hearts toward one another and give us the courage and wisdom to turn grief into meaningful change
Amen.
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