*My sincere apologies for my earlier typo with the name of the school.  My oversight is embarrassing, but my message remains the same.*

I’m assuming you’ve all heard about the horrific shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Connecticut that took place last Friday morning.  I am still struggling to process all of my emotions around the incident and really don’t have the adequate words to express my thoughts.  As a mother and an educator, this tragedy hits very close to home and I feel like anything I say is an understatement:  I am heart broken.  I am confused.  I am afraid.  I am angry.  I can’t even imagine the pain and hurt the families of the victims are experiencing.  Multiplied by a million.  I feel like we haven’t been hit by something this hard in a very very long time.

I’m sure you’ve read a hundred reports about and reactions to the incident, much more eloquent than mine, so I’m not going to say much more than this:  As we send our most loving and uplifting thoughts to all of the people of the Newtown community who are suffering the loss of loved ones, I truly truly hope that we, as a nation, can move forward from here – not just move past this – but forward, in a positive direction.  I’m sure we all agree that we can’t let this sort of thing continue to happen – something needs to change.  We may all have different ideas for how to make these changes, but as long as we are talking about it and not ignoring it, and making sure our government hears us, I think we can start to move forward, towards some real change at an institutional level.  So during this healing time, as we come together as a country to mourn those lost and uplift a community in need, I hope we can spark some brave conversations about what we can do to create a healthier and safer world for everyone.

Thank you for allowing me to release some personal thoughts that have been swirling around in my head and my heart for the last few days.  I felt like I couldn’t go on blogging as usual without acknowledging both this tragedy and my struggle with it in some small way.  So besides remembering to appreciate life every single day, even in all of it’s messiness, I plan to resume regular blogging this week in the spirit of moving forward.  It’s important for us to continue living life and enjoying the little things and as a sewist and blogger who celebrates children and parenting regularly here on the blog, I hope that I can continue sharing small things to brighten your day.  My friend, Kristin, said it so well that “what follows on this blog will be posted in an attempt to raise spirits, share joy, bring smiles, and give peace.  as always.”

With love . . .