I spend a
lot of time with my grandchildren, and when I dropped them off at school today,
as I often do, I appreciated more than ever what a treasure they’ve been. My
granddaughter, now 11, always leans into the driver’s seat and plants a kiss on
my cheek, even when she’s loaded down with four bags of school supplies. I
won’t ever take that for granted again.
Her eight-year old brother often shares his humorous and quirky
observations on the ride to school. He loves listening to Christmas music on
the way and sometimes sings along. I
know these moments won’t last forever, but I’ll forever cherish them.
This morning
I couldn’t stop thinking about those innocent young children in Connecticut
whose lives were abruptly and violently ended.
It pains me beyond measure. I
listened to President Obama say their names at a memorial yesterday and my
heart ached; the tears were streaming down my face. Driving around Minneapolis today and
listening to Christmas music, I thought of them over and over again. The
holidays will certainly be the most difficult their families have ever
experienced.
And then I
think of the teachers and leaders of that school and those around our country. They are supremely dedicated people who care
deeply about children. Sometimes they’re
under-appreciated, but they go on for the love of children. As I watched many of the teachers of my
grandchildren enter the school today, I realized that I will never take them
for granted again. I see how incredibly hard they work and the positive values
they try to instill. They see those kids
as individuals and would go to the NTH degree for them. I am filled with
immense admiration and gratitude for the kind, caring professionals who choose
to make a difference in kids’ lives.
In
remembrance of those dear children in Connecticut and the teachers who sought
to protect them, I for one will not forget you, today or any day. My hope is that we will see changes in our
country that will make this land a safer place.
“In the end, nothing we do or say in
this lifetime will matter as much as the way we have loved one another.” (Daphne Rose Kingma)
No comments:
Post a Comment