Snow Flakes for Newtown, CT

Happy New Year!!!

Did you know that the National PTA is collecting snowflakes to decorate Sandy Hook Elementary for the children when they return to a new school later this month? Read more here.

I've had such a difficult time with the horrific even that happened there, as I'm sure you have too. My tears still come in deluges every time I think about, or read about those precious lives that were so senselessly and violently taken. I have young children, and it just pains my soul to think of those parents who dropped their children off at school and hugged or kissed them for the last time.

I hurt for those children who will remember that horrible day their whole lives. Even though they survived, they have been robbed of feelings of safety, security, and peace that should belong to every child. 

My husband and I have held our children closer, and treasured them even more....

  
 ... and I will continue to cry for those parents who were robbed of this experience.

I am grateful though that there is a small thing we can do. I hope the winter wonderland in the new Sandy Hook Elementary School shows those children how much this nation loves and cares about them. 

 

 My children have been sick throughout the entire winter break. They watched way too much  TV, but were too sick to do a whole lot. Thankfully I heard about this project.  We got out the scissors and paper, and made a small winter wonderland to send to Connecticut. 

I simply told my children that a sad thing had happened to some children at a school, and several had died. I also told them that many people are working together to make a winter wonderland for the other kids to cheer them up.

I decided to only tell my children that much unless they asked why or what happened. My plan was to say something like this if they asked more questions: "It's really sad, and hard for me to talk about right now. Let's just do this now, and I'll tell you more about it later." Then I would have thought and prayed for a way to tell them without scaring them. I'm grateful that I did not have to get into that conversation.

Someone criticized me for not wanting to talk about it with my children. We all have different opinions, and I hope we can respect each other and know that we all try to teach our children what is best for them. My deep wish is that there will never be another reason to talk about anything like this with children ever again.

Snowflakes must be mailed by January 12th to:
Connecticut PTSA
60 Connolly Parkway
Building 12, Suite 103
Hamden, CT 06514

Happy New Year! I hope that we will cherish those we love even more, and pray for those who are mourning the loss of these loved ones.

XO,
Nancy