There is so much information floating around cyberspace regarding the situation that unfolded last Friday in Newton, Conneticut at the Sandy Hook Elementary school. I'm not here to debate about gun control or mood altering drugs. I just want to share a few ways my life has been affected by this tragic event.First, this blog post by one of my favorite authors, Lysa TerKeurst captures how my heart is feeling in these post Sandy Hook days. There will come a day very soon when life gets back to "normal"; we will open our computers and not be inundated with news stories regarding the victims of the school shootings. But I don't want my heart to grow cold to the needs and sorrows of the families affected by this tragic event, so I encourage you to read Lysa's wise counsel and listen to the raw emotion she too is feeling in these days.
The second thing I want to share with you is a poem, written by Cameo Smith. I saw it posted on a facebook page by my local radio station. I hope you find encouragement in the words. The above picture goes with the following poem...
twas' 11 days before Christmas, around 9:38
when 20 beautiful children stormed through heaven's gate.
their smiles were contagious, their laughter filled the air.
...they could hardly believe all the beauty they saw there.
they were filled ...
when 20 beautiful children stormed through heaven's gate.
their smiles were contagious, their laughter filled the air.
...they could hardly believe all the beauty they saw there.
they were filled ...
with such joy, they didn't know what to say.
they remembered nothing of what had happened earlier that day.
"where are we?" asked a little girl, as quiet as a mouse.
"this is heaven." declared a small boy. "we're spending Christmas at God's house."
when what to their wondering eyes did appear,
but Jesus, their savior, the children gathered near.
He looked at them and smiled, and they smiled just the same.
then He opened His arms and He called them by name.
and in that moment was joy, that only heaven can bring
those children all flew into the arms of their King
and as they lingered in the warmth of His embrace,
one small girl turned and looked at Jesus' face.
and as if He could read all the questions she had
He gently whispered to her, "I'll take care of mom and dad."
then He and the children stood up without a sound.
"come now my children, let me show you around."
excitement filled the space, some skipped and some ran.
all displaying enthusiasm that only a small child can.
and i heard Him proclaim as He walked out of sight,
"in the midst of this darkness, I AM STILL THE LIGHT."
Written by Cameo Smith, Mt. Wolf, PA
they remembered nothing of what had happened earlier that day.
"where are we?" asked a little girl, as quiet as a mouse.
"this is heaven." declared a small boy. "we're spending Christmas at God's house."
when what to their wondering eyes did appear,
but Jesus, their savior, the children gathered near.
He looked at them and smiled, and they smiled just the same.
then He opened His arms and He called them by name.
and in that moment was joy, that only heaven can bring
those children all flew into the arms of their King
and as they lingered in the warmth of His embrace,
one small girl turned and looked at Jesus' face.
and as if He could read all the questions she had
He gently whispered to her, "I'll take care of mom and dad."
then He and the children stood up without a sound.
"come now my children, let me show you around."
excitement filled the space, some skipped and some ran.
all displaying enthusiasm that only a small child can.
and i heard Him proclaim as He walked out of sight,
"in the midst of this darkness, I AM STILL THE LIGHT."
Written by Cameo Smith, Mt. Wolf, PA
The last thing I want to share with you is a story I heard yesterday. A grandmother of one of the victims told the story of how her granddaugher wanted to wear a special dress to school last Friday, her mother said "yes" and the grandmother related how this greiving mom will forever have the picture embedded in her mind of her little girl all decked out in her pretty pink dress.
This story hit me like a ton of bricks because Sunday night my 6 year old asked me if she could wear her Christmas outfit to school on Monday. I said "no" that it was special and she should save it for Sundays. When I heard the grandmother's story, I realized I had to forget about the possiblity that her outfit could get ruined on the playground. I needed to let my beautiful daugher, wear her special outfit because she simply wanted to.
So yesterday I told her she could wear it to her special Christmas luncheon at school on Thursday. Needless to say, she is absolutely thrilled! One the first things she asked me this morning was if TODAY was the day she could wear her beautiful Christmas outfit. To think I almost deprived her of the joy of wearing something so pretty and I almost deprived myself of watching the joy and excitement in the heart of my little girl.
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