I haven’t written in awhile.  Life has been hectic, kids have been busy, work has been nearly unmanageable, yet those are not the reasons why I haven’t written.  I wish I could blame writer’s block or boredom or laziness, but I can’t.  Words are often a way to share one’s most inner thoughts, feelings, beliefs…and for the past few weeks, I have not felt the energy, or the passion, or the power surge through me to put my words on paper, simply because the things I wanted to talk about didn’t seem to carry enough weight or importance in comparison to the recent hurricanes, earthquakes, and now mass shooting in Vegas.  I didn’t want to be deaf to the unmeasurable pain of others who survived, or sadly did not in the mass shooting, nor did I want to be inconsiderate to the families who now have nothing in wake of the terrifying natural disasters they have survived.  But today, I finally found the voice that was whispering inside of me, the voice that was getting louder with each stroke of my keyboard.  I couldn’t be silent anymore.  I needed an outlet for the myriad of emotions coursing through my body.  And no, I cannot say that I understand what any of these individuals are going through, nor will I take a political stand towards my opinions on gun control (or the lack thereof in the US), BUT, I will share words of love, and of kindness, and of hope in this time of unease and fear and desperation.

I am a mother.  I have two beautiful children that I worry about each and every day.  And the love I have for them is boundless, timeless, endless.  And it is that very love that makes me mourn for others that I don’t even know, that makes me want to cry and hide in a closet for those that were killed, hunted down like animals.  It makes me want to keep my children in an armored car at all times of the day, protecting them from anything or anyone that could possibly bring them harm.  But I can’t do that, I shouldn’t do that.  Instead, I will instill in them a loving heart that is accepting of all people, a sound mind that understands that it’s ok to be different, but it’s not ok to hold hateful thoughts or opinions of someone else because of those differing ideals.  I will teach them to pray, to ask for forgiveness, to act with kindness, to exude love – to everyone, at all times, without prejudice of one’s race, color, religion, or culture.  I will work tirelessly to be a role model to them of the very actions I am asking them to employ in their every day existence.  Through my words, and my actions, and my thoughts I will showcase to them how people can be kind, and loving, and understanding, and compassionate.

And when they ask me why I am this way, I will say because it is the way human kind should be towards one another.  I will explain that there should not be so much hate in our hearts that we want to hurt others, so much anger or jealousy that we want to put others down so that we feel better about ourselves.  I will say these things because I believe in a world where people are treated equally, where people are respected, where people are valued.  I will explain how lucky we are to be alive, yet that with the gift of life, we are tasked with preserving the true beauty of what it means to be alive.  We are here for only a short period of time and it is our duty to make the most of it, not only for ourselves, but for those who are on the same journey as we are.

We are a people of one race, that of HUMANKIND.  Our hearts are blind to the color of one’s skin, to the religion that one follows, to the culture that one is a part of and we should let our hearts direct our actions because hatred does not stem from love, nor does it survive in a society filled with the desire to embrace and accept all people.  Guns are not used out of love, but out of fear, out of hatred, out of evil.  Our actions to either hurt or help each other are a direct correlation of the amount of love or hatred we harbor inside of ourselves.  It is now a time for us to let our love burn strong, a time for us to let our compassion burn bright.  For if we all start to glow from the inside then hopefully the light we project will spread and blanket our mourning nation in a quilt of tranquility, peace, and strength.