Sandy Hook Elementary: For such as they is The Kingdom of Heaven

The tragic incident at Sandy Hook Elementary brings back memories of when my daughter, Lakita, was that young. We had no clue that such violence could reach into a school. As far as we knew, our babies were safe.

In a manner of speaking, my daughter is a grown woman now, . She graduated from college, got married, and has done everything in an orderly fashion except produce my grandchildren. I sometimes feel she is not too keen on becoming a mother just yet, especially when she says I will forget all about her and focus on the little ones.

A few days ago before the Sandy Hook Elementary tragedy, she called me to pose a serious question. "Will I always be your little girl?" The question struck a tenders place in my heart. I assured her that she will always be my little girl ... always. The truth is, she is perpectually four years old to me. It was the age we first began to travel about town together, the age she spoke well enough to express her own mind. Kita is definitely my little girl, my treasure.

Emilie Parker, age 6 died by gunfire. She was everybody's child in spirit.

As I consider the tragedy of Sandy Hook Elementary and the lost of 20 children through a senseless act of mass murder, I immediately grieve for the parents who lost part of their souls in the gunfire. In deed, I grieve for the teachers and the First Responders, as well. Adults are expected to protect children. Children have a right to expect to be safe. When something fails, when there is a breakdown in the sheild there is so much pain, so much guilt.

Ana Marquez-Greene's life was a sweet promise but it was taken in a senseless act.

We imagine we could have done something more but there is little defense against a spontaneous attack in an elementary school or Shopping mall. There is no expectation of violence.

We may ask how can anyone kill innocent children? It is doubtful, however, that the attacker, Adam Lanza, even saw his victims as living breathing human beings. There was no distinction drawn between child and adult. He was in such a killing mode that he shot his own mother in the face, then moved on to take the lives of 26 people, 20 of them, children. Clearly, there was no pause of remorse. The children seemed to be nothing more than targets to him.

Noah Pozner was a beautiful boy, vibrant with life.

Let us hope that this was the act of a severely mentally impaired individual. If he was not mentally impaired, the act becomes even more terrifying.

We must put a stronger sheild around our children, one forged of heart, mind and spirit, and enveloping all children. Every adult needs to be an extention of that living sheild. If there is something amiss, none of us must be passive or silent. We must all police our community. There are precious lives which must be protected. The African proverb tells us that it takes a village to raise a child but today it also takes a village to protect them. We must cultivate a new attitude toward our young ones.They are, each one of them, our young.

As I reflected on the Sandy Hook tragedy I thought about my own precious little girl all grown up now. I am grateful to God who brought her through the dangers of early life and college in another state. I realize how fragile life is but I also know suffering at gunpoint does not have to happen. It can be prevented. It is said "guns don't kill people, people do." Such an argument has no merit. In China, only hours before Sandy Hook, a Chinese assailant attacked 23 children with a knife, not one of them died. Guns make it easier to kill. We should love nothing more than our children. My prayers go out to all who lost loves ones in Sandy Hook Elementary. The adults are not forgotten. They were children once. Still, their parents grieve. My prayers go out to Newtown, Connecticut, the nation, and to each and every one of us. We have all been wounded more than we know. You may not have children but you know children. You were a child. Reflect for a moment and you will understand how deep this lost is.