Thursday, September 28, 2006

OH NO, not again. (edited)

Another shooting at a Colorado high school, another senseless death... the murder of a life that had just barely begun, a future snuffed out before it could be realized.  How could this happen again?

How could an adult slip into a school unstopped, take over a classroom, and before its over take an innocent life along with his own, leaving the survivors in a nightmarish haze that may never clear.

I saw the news ticker on the bottom of the screen last night.... 'Shooting in CO high school leaves gunman and one female student dead'.  I sat upright in the chair, sure that I had read it wrong, hoping that I had read it wrong.  Would it have been better if it had taken place in another state?  Of course not, but having two children in high school and one in Jr. high , and with Columbine still an open file in my memory, this was too close. 

The gunman, the murder, is dead by his own gun and no longer a threat yet I wanted to keep the kids home today.  It wasn't so much for their safety as for my own piece of mind.  I trust the security of the schools.  The entrances are monitored by campus security.  I'm sure the other school had measures in place as well but our schools are safer I convince myself.  They would have noticed a stubble faced man trying to sneak in with the sea of young faces streaming into the school halls, they would have stopped and questioned him.  This would never have happened in my kids' schools.  Or so I tell myself because I need to believe it, just as, I'm sure, the parents of Platte Canyon High School believed of their children's school... until yesterday.

I saw the news reel as parents rushed in to collect their children, the fear etched across their faces replaced with tears of joy and relief as they were reunited with their teenagers.  Sadly one family would not know the comfort of holding their child safe in their arms.  There would not be reunion for them, and their nightmare would not end there.  It was only beginning.

Becca wanted to take the cell phone to school today.  It was hard to tell her no. 

"Fine, and if I get killed, I won't call you", she said, trying to be funny and failing.

It was harder to let her go to school, but if I fall apart how will she keep it together?  Instead, I gave her a little talk in the street and sent her off with a hug and a kiss.  She gave me her cutest smile and bounced off to join her waiting friends, her concerns already fading.  No doubt they will be revived once more during the morning announcements.  No doubt security will be beefed up even more.  In time, complacency will replace caution and somewhere in the country something like this will happen again.

And the country will shake its head in unison and ask 'Why?  How could this happen again?'

Or perhaps, stricter measures will be enacted to ensure the safety of our children while they are in school so that a little good might come out of this horrific tragedy. 

I pray that the family of Emily Keyes can eventually find peace for their broken hearts but the mother in me cannot imagine how that would ever be possible.

14 comments:

Anonymous said...

Yes this is HORRIBLE!!!  I grieve  with the family and pray for their comfort.
When my Elementary age children told me a few weeks ago about the drills they were running I was a bit off kilter.. now it makes a bit more sense.. Stranger Danger and how to hide if some one tries to take over the class or the school!!  How to recognize an adult that does not belong (if they don't have a visitor's badge or tag) and how to inform the authorities.. sad we have to run drills like this, to make it normal like a fire drill is normal.

Much Love,
Mary
http://journals.aol.com/hunybea4him/HunybeasOpenJournal/

Anonymous said...

Jody-I was reading this this mornin on AOL news, unbelievable. Students commenting on the stranger being there, then this. It makes you wonder WTH!! I know our school systems here in our county keep all doors locked and you pretty much have to be buzzed in the school. I pray for comfort of the family of Emily Keyes and for all the other children & parents who struggle to know how this happened.
michele
glensfork4@aol.com

Anonymous said...

It's so sad to me, what this world is coming to for our children.
It makes me worried about bringing kids into this world.
It really is scary!
That poor family will be in my thoughts & prayers.
Hugs,
H

Anonymous said...

I know... so sad... so horrible.  I am praying for Emily's family...

be well,
Dawn

Anonymous said...

 It is so terrible.  So hard to understand how something like this happens.  I grieve for the family and the world that has these type of people in it.

                  Julie

Anonymous said...

what a scarey world we live in

Anonymous said...

I thought of you when I saw the news yesterday. This coming just after the incident in Montreal last week. It's hard for me to accept that the ease with which people can acquire firearms these days isn't, at least in part, responsible for these things.
-Paul
http://journals.aol.ca/plittle/AuroraWalkingVacation/

Anonymous said...

My first thought was of your family when I heard Colorado...not being too sure of what area you actually are in.  This was so senseless and the creep killing the little girl at the last minute like that...I felt so bad for her family. Now today its our turn here in Florida...in Lakeland some killed an officer & his police dog, shot another cop and all this in the vicinity of a high school.  So they locked the HS down, kids were not released to their frantic parents until 11 tonight. Still haven't caught this creep and he's armed & extremely dangerous. 500 police are out on the streets after him.  Wish we could have a saner world....Sandi

Anonymous said...

I thought of you and your family when I heard it was a shooting in CO.  But like you said, I was glad it wasn't your family affected but so sad for the family it did affect.  It's just not right.
Traci

Anonymous said...

JO!

I so thought of you yesterday when I saw that across the bottom of CH 7 NEWS AT 5... I was so scared it was yall... Then I remember you lived (((or i think you said you lived in CS... )))))......And when they said that was close to Littleton where this shooting happend I was like thank god its not yall Jo!


Im just thanking my lucky stars yall are ok ^_^


Christopher

Anonymous said...

I agree with you....giving up one of our children would have to be the hardest thing we'd ever face in this world.  My heart goes out to Emily's parents!
gina

Anonymous said...

HEYYY...passing thru!! ~FLAVA~

Anonymous said...

I have never visited this journal of yours before so I clicked it in my sidebar.    I haven't been on the computer much all this last summer and now I have the stenosis of my lumbar spine diagnosed and can only handle the pain for several hours on my feet and then end up laying on the board/cushion I have and read which I enjoy greatly.     I am sorry to read about another school shooting and how it has everyone on edge and worried about sending their children to a potentially tragic occurance.     I thought the entry about shaving your legs was humurous and wonder if I should be reading this journal as a male of the species,  lol .     mark

Anonymous said...

I know, it sickens me. I'm so thankful that I didn't have to attend a "normal" highschool. It's kinda sad that we live in a world where we have to fear going to school, or heck, even the grocery store now a days.

<3jackie