Day Eight
Yesterday was Valentine’s Day. For all of you who enjoyed your day, I want to extend more happiness in your direction, because there is nothing like love.
On yesterday a former student of a high school in Florida killed seventeen students and staff. For that reason I couldn’t bring myself to post on this blog. There has always been violence in the world. When I was in school back in the ’70s and early ’80s, I never remember being afraid of a shooting happening at my schools. To be honest, I didn’t fear bullies back then either. Of course our school had a few students with anger issues or behavioral problems, but I can’t ever remember it getting so bad that I didn’t want to go to school because of it or wished myself any harm. I think the reason being is, these few students were also under the radar of our school staff, and the staff back then tended to parent all students in regards of protecting them, even if a student wasn’t a part of their classroom.
The most things I remember fearing is getting abducted while walking on the street. Back then kids were told to be leery of the creepy, slow driving van. That’s all I can remember as being the fear most parents had for their kids, someone trying to steal them off the street, because it was happening back then, kids taken, some of them never seen again. It had become a national epidemic and when you watched it on the news, it just broke your heart. But when these abductions occurred, usually one child was being stolen at a time, whereas today tragedies are happening by a much larger number.
When it came to school, my most fears were if I remembered to bring my homework and not breaking school rules that could get me sent to the principal’s office. Those two things used to make me shake with fright. We didn’t sass teachers or adults in the communities I lived in, because by doing so, we weren’t only breaking a school rule, but an unspoken rule of society. You had respect for your elders, including those that didn’t live by everyone’s standards. You still respected them; you just didn’t speak to them.
All of my children are grown. I’m a grandmother now and my grandchildren attend pre-school. The very idea of something happening to them brings tears to my eyes. I’ve only been to Florida once, but that didn’t stop the pain I felt or my tears from falling when I read about the high school coach throwing his body on top of students so they wouldn’t get hurt and him dying in the process. What a hero. I honor this coach’s actions and my heart bleeds and go out to his family, friends and loved ones. Also for the students that thought yesterday was another day of school and unknowingly became a victim.
Guys, I have cried more for people I don’t know over this past year than I have in a very long time, because of the violence that’s happening not only in our country, but others. With a heavy heart I think back to October and the mass shooting that occurred in Las Vegas. I’m sure many of you reading this feels the same. We don’t need to know one another personally to care about someone’s livelihood and wellbeing. I just think it’s sad to think none of us are safe anymore. But there is one way to combat this deadly trend and that’s to love one another regardless of race, creed, religion and sexual preference. Many of us already do this because we realized there’s only one race and that’s the human race, and we will continue to love because love heals and uplifts and validates all that’s wrong.
Again, I hope you enjoyed your day yesterday as much as possible. I close this thread by extended my prayers and well wishes to all the victims of Douglas High. You will forever be in our hearts.
