This morning, I was in the middle of writing an article for Wednesday's Desert Messenger when I heard of the horrific tragedy in Newtown, Connecticut. The article is about local Quartzsite Elementary School District Board members extending Superintendent Jacque Price's contract. Some were happy about the decision and others are furious.
I was researching the history of our two local schools, at the same time Arizona School Board Members were ending their annual Conference today. The impact of the news of the deaths of so many innocent children stopped me in my tracks. An overwhelming wave of grief came upon me, and I reached out to family and friends for comfort.
My emotions were already raw from hearing about two friends' experience at the Clackamas shopping mall shooting just a few days ago. One friend, in a wheelchair, faced the shooter while his wife hit the floor as the glass shattered around her. The pain of their experience was felt "in our bones", as they said. With support of our extended family, the couple was just beginning the long healing process; and then came today's tragedy.
Such events as the recent shootings offer the opportunity to open up our hearts to each other...or... these events can turn our hearts cold as ice. We make our choices. In these changing times, we can heal from our wounds by recognizing another's pain. Allowing ourselves to grieve as a nation, and a community, for those who lost loved ones today and whose lives will never be the same again, will open us up to just how connected we are as human beings living on this earth together.
When we can sit at a table together with those we disagree with, the pain of our wounds begin to heal. When we light a candle and say prayers for the families who are suffering today, our own wounds will begin to heal. When we share a smile with a stranger, we offer a part of ourselves.
Today's tragedy shows us how connected we really all are. When our President sheds tears, the whole press corp was silent and moved. No politics, just human to human connection. We all feel the pain of today's events. When we send loving thoughts and prayers for the families involved, we help in our own healing process. When we begin our healing as a community, it reverberates around the whole world, just as a pebble in the pond.
In closing, I wish to share how grateful I am for all of you in my life, those I know very well, and those who only read my words here on this blog. I have learned from each and every one of you, even those who....(fill in the blanks)....
Reach out to loved ones and be grateful for each moment we share together. Don't allow the fear of the future stop you from joyfully living your dreams.
I wish all of you a joyful tomorrow and beyond...
Shanana Rain Golden-Bear
Publisher/Editor Desert Messenger
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