12/14: A Solemn Promise to be Better
I remember exactly where I was when I heard the news of the Sandy Hook Shooting — sitting at my desk in Redding and working on a project for University. Then around 10:00 am, I saw news reports coming across my twitter feed and it shook me to my core. 12/14 is a day our State will never forget. Each year while we remember the 26 souls who were unjustly taken from us, we must renew a solemn promise to each other: To be better.
As somebody who lived in the next town over, and worked for First Selectwoman Llodra, that is what I see in town. Newtown is a special place. The residents support one another and lift each other up in compassion and love.
The State is scarred. A scar is always there trying to fully heal, but like any scar, it will never fully heal. Connecticut will always hold 12/14 up in a day of reverence and remembrance. The actions we take, try to heal our wounds but they will never fully heal.
The families and residents have taken their grief and turned it into action:
- Scarlett Lewis starting the Jesse Lewis Choose Love Movement.
- Nelba Marquez-Green starting the Ana Grace Project.
- Nicole Hockley starting Sandy Hook Promise.
- JT Lewis who is running for the State Senate.
- Monte Frank, bringing the community together, by starting Team 26.
These are just a few of the many examples where people have taken sorrow and decided to stand up and make a difference. Each one of these people has made a difference!
I want to close this year’s remembrance with Ecclesiastes 3:1–8; There is a time for everything. Now go out, be kind to one another, and take the time today to commit to yourself and others to be better.
