It’s always difficult to find the right thing to say following a tragedy. Last Friday, the nation was jarred to find the ugly and repugnant actions of one person caused tremendous chaos and pain to not only a community, but a nation. The mass shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School, in which 20 children and six adults were innocently gunned down has left a rift in our hearts as parents. Innocent children were taken from their parents. Teachers and administrators sacrificed their lives to protect the children in their care.

The mood of the nation is somber and saddened. We are grieving. We believe that so many blogs during the National Blogging Day of Remembrance, said it best:

“We know that no words, no gifts, no acts of service will ever take away the pain, but we, as bloggers and parents collectively, want those affected by this to know how close to our hearts they are:

We love you. We pray for you. We’re so brokenhearted for your loss.

To honor the memory of lives cut short, we choose to step away from our blogs and computers today to celebrate the gift of life and those we love most: our children, families, good friends, and community. We’re holding our kids a little closer, reaching out to neighbors and giving thanks for the moments we have together.”

We couldn’t have said it better ourselves. No parent should ever have to bury their child. Gun violence, acts of terrorism, foreign and domestic, and the treatment of mental health problems are all worthy of a robust discussion in our homes, places of worship, communities, and government. However, today is a day that we choose to mourn and honor those who were lost on December 14, 2012.

We must make the choice not to live in fear or anger. Instead, we must embrace every moment as a gift. Hug your children. Hug your husband, wife or partner and your loved ones. Tell them that you love them. Cherish each moment.

The following is a list (as released by police) of the victims in Friday’s shooting spree on the campus of Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut.  Our hearts go out to these fallen, their families and loved ones today. We know that we couldn’t get through something like this on our own and our minds and prayers go out in support of those lost and their families.

In remembrance:

• Charlotte Bacon, 2/22/06, female
• Daniel Barden, 9/25/05, male
• Rachel Davino, 7/17/83, female
• Olivia Engel, 7/18/06, female
• Josephine Gay, 12/11/05, female
• Ana M. Marquez-Greene, 04/04/06, female
• Dylan Hockley, 3/8/06, male
• Dawn Hochsprung, 06/28/65, female
• Madeleine F. Hsu, 7/10/06, female
• Catherine V. Hubbard, 6/08/06, female
• Chase Kowalski, 10/31/05, male
• Jesse Lewis, 6/30/06, male
• James Mattioli , 3/22/06, male
• Grace McDonnell, 12/04/05, female
• Anne Marie Murphy, 07/25/60, female
• Emilie Parker, 5/12/06, female
• Jack Pinto, 5/06/06, male
• Noah Pozner, 11/20/06, male
• Caroline Previdi, 9/07/06, female
• Jessica Rekos, 5/10/06, female
• Avielle Richman, 10/17/06, female
• Lauren Rousseau, 6/1982, female (full date of birth not specified)
• Mary Sherlach, 2/11/56, female
• Victoria Soto, 11/04/85, female
• Benjamin Wheeler, 9/12/06, male
• Allison N. Wyatt, 7/03/06, female
• Source: Huffington Post

If you want to join in donating to the families of Sandy Hook Elementary, donation links are listed at ChoosetoThrive.blogspot.com.

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