I have gratitude today for...

* making breakfast when we got up in the morning. French toast, bacon,
scrambled eggs and English muffins.
* having help packing the car with all of our crap for this weekend. Usually I'm doing it all myself.

                      ***Thoughts about Sandy Hook Elementary***

As we were on our way to pick up Andy from his office Ben mentioned there had been a shooting at an elementary school in CT. My first thoughts were of our nieces and nephew in Greenwich but I quickly learned the shooting did not take place in Greenwich. Then I thought to myself "are little kids bringing guns to school and shooting each other? That can't be possible." followed by "this was an adult, this was some psychotic adult that barged into a school and started shooting. Maybe it was a parent gone mad?" It's amazing how many thoughts you can have running through your mind in so little time.

 

We learned bits and pieces of what happened as time went on---some of the information initially reported was incorrect. It didn't matter. 20 children, 5 teachers and 1 principal were killed...senselessly, for no reason at all. I just can't imagine. It's numbing, it made me feel sick inside. We are all feeling the same way.

 

How can I say there was anything good about this day? How can I when 20 sets of parents lost their babies this morning? How can I be excited about a road trip to C'Ville with friends to see our favorite band? That I get to work from home and I was able to work while being in the car on our way to a really fun weekend?

 

I wasn't sure what I was going to write today for my gratitude entry. But I guess the whole point is finding the good in our days, even when they are dark. Being thankful for every happy moment we have and knowing it can all end in an instant. Appreciating time with friends & family and having the means to do things like travel and go to concerts. My gratitude blog is to record what I am grateful for---the little things that happen every day that remind me there is always good somewhere out there.

 

My heart is crushed for the families and friends of those that were killed. I ache for their community and our society as a whole. There is too much that is broken and we need to help heal each other. I don't know what else to say right now, and I know this will weigh on me indefinitely, as it will so many others. 

 

Below are the things I was grateful for today after we heard about the shooting. Some of them are silly like a great hoagie for lunch. I am always grateful for the people in my life that love and support me, and bring fun and light to my days.

* Primos for lunch
* hitting minimal traffic during our drive to Charlottesville.
* having some time to relax before we left for dinner/show. I was
tired all day from staying up so late the last two nights.
* Chipotle---quick, fresh, easy, inexpensive and so good!
* a great time at the show! Loved the set and had a great time with
Andy, Dave, Ben, Ian and Ashley.

* Dave mentioning the shooting before playing Mercy. That song gets to me on so many levels. I wrote about it when Hurricane Sandy was happening and it seems to hit home even more after what happened today in CT. I think we all felt comforted when he acknowledged what had happened---it was a very weird feeling to be having such a good time knowing there are so many people grieving tonight.
* hanging out after the show in our hotel room--listening to music and
eating junk food (those calories don't count after midnight, right?)