My heart...

is just broken right now. And it's not just over the unforeseen death of so many young children. This past week has been riddled with death, and today has been my first day to really let it all sink in.

My week started with hearing about a shooting, no two shootings, a plane crash, and a homicide. I do not watch the news. I probably should, but it depresses me to the point that I just can't, and I don't read the paper, so when I hear of a tragedy, I know it is a tragedy, as they say good news travels fast, but bad news travels faster.

Mr. Poppell, an active community leader, took a private plane to Valdosta earlier this week, but never made it. He died in the accident. Then later that morning news came in that Commissioner Sublett, of Brunswick, was reported missing and later found dead and his death has been ruled a homicide. That is when I learned of two more shootings in our community. This was Tuesday. That afternoon we were having a station meeting and we were discussing the recent tragedies, and within a few hours we announced a prayer vigil for next Thursday...

Wednesday...that morning, Pastor Tim came into the station to share God's Word and to try and give our listeners peace, in light of all the dark. That evening, I read about the shootings at a mall in Portland (I have friends there).

Thursday we get the approval for the "City on Our Knees" Prayer Vigil, and we begin to share with everyone via email and Facebook...Prayer Vigil Info

Friday...we hear of the shooting and deaths at the elementary school, Sandy Hook. My heart broke when I heard the news. My thoughts were of loss, and fear, and of my own children. It just shocked me...almost as much as the day that the Twin Towers fell.

Here's where I must interject...all of these events, were "events". They "effected" me, but not in an immediate way, so I could and did brush them aside and place them on the back burner. I had too many other obligations and things that needed my attention, so I could not really take the time to focus on all the death around me. I...my children and I...were in the midst of Nutcracker rehearsal, and Benchmark tests, so I had not been home long enough to sit down and absorb all the news.

Now that my day has given me time to read and catch up on all the information that was given to me earlier in the week, I am just shocked, saddened, hurt and broken. I have teared up 20 different times in the past hour, and I teared up a dozen times at church today as we talked about HOPE, and where HOPE comes from and how now more than ever we NEED to bring HOPE to a dying world.

I went on to Facebook, to see what I could find as far as posts go, so I could get a better understanding of this Adam boy, and to learn about the adults who acted so bravely to save children, and to learn about the children who did not survive. I forget how angry people can become and how easy Facebook makes it for people to be vocal in a very hateful, mean-spirited and hurtful way. This too, broke my heart.

So I say all of this to say one thing...I am praying for the Poppell and Sublett families. I am praying for the 28 families that lost loved ones in the Sandy Hook murders, and for the remaining family of Adam, the young man who committed this horrific crime. My heart just hurts. I'm not sure what else there is to say, but I needed to post this. I know you are angry and I know that we don't have an answer to the question WHY, but I know that GOD is GOD, and HE alone is in control. We, Me...I am called to pray, forgive, love and give mercy, just as GOD has forgiven and loved me and has shown me mercy.


~Peace & Blessings~
Jen