Day 166

The numbers tell the story: 21 people are dead, 19 of them children. 42 moms and dads whose lives were shattered the instant the gunman's bullet found its mark and took the life of their child. 164 grandparents and an untold number of siblings, aunts, uncles, cousins and friends all gut punched because an 18 year old with access to weapons and ammunition decided for whatever reason that he needed to kill little kids. And what better place to find them than in a school. 

My heart goes out to all of them, but especially the parents. While the circumstances of Damian's death are drastically different than yesterday's senseless barbarism, the fact remains that Dawn and I know all too well the acute grief that comes from losing a child. Their journey in the After has just begun. Their time with grief will be long and painful. With the passing of time, it may become less so, but now is not the time to look into the future. They must live in the now as the trauma of yesterday envelops them.

Here is something to think about: it is harder to buy allergy medication in this country than it is to buy bullets. When Dawn goes to the pharmacy to buy Claritin (for her) or Zyrtec (for me) she has to show her ID and fill out and sign some form. And most ironic of all, she can buy only one box of pills per visit. If we both run out of allergy meds at the same time either we both need to go to the store or she needs to make two trips. The only requirement to buy ammunition? You have to be 18. And there are no restrictions on how much you can buy at one time – one box or a thousand, it makes no difference as long as you have the cash. 

Stew on that one for awhile and tell me that we can't do better.