Let's Love All Children Lessons from Sandy Hook

As we celebrate Christmas and move into the new year let's hold all children in our hearts. Around the world, on street corners and yes in our schools we are losing children to gun violence. I grew up in a rural area and in a hunting culture. While my Dad was not much into hunting many of my relatives were and continue to be. We do not own guns or have any in our home. People do not need automatic weapons that fire hundreds of bullets in a minute to hunt or even to defend themselves. We will always have guns in our country. We need some common sense laws that protect people who are defenseless. I do not want armed guards standing at the door of the school I work at. I want all children to feel valued and safe. I want to live in a country where the rights of children are more important than the rights of the gun lobby. I want children to feel safe in their homes, their neighborhoods and their schools. Let's love all children the ones who daily have to go to sleep hearing gun fire in their neighborhoods and have been fearful of guns long before the mass shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary. During this time of national debate about guns and gun violence may the many voices agree on the need to protect children from gun violence so no parent has to grieve the loss of a child.