Another Day, Another School Shooting

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My six-year-old held my hand on the way to the bus stop yesterday morning and I remember thinking how sweet it felt to hold her little hand, especially as time seems to be going by faster and faster lately.

Nothing was particularly different about this morning, but after I put her on the school bus, I had an uneasy feeling. I don’t know why, but for some reason, I was thinking about how you just never know when the last time that you may see a person will be. I thought of the parents who sent their kids to school not knowing that tragedy was just around the corner in yet another senseless school shooting and how that last school drop-off or hand-holding would be seared into their brains.

I have no idea what triggered those thoughts. With the world we are living in today, it can sometimes feel hard to distinguish anxiety from intuition.

Not more than 20 minutes later I received a phone call from my daughter’s elementary school that secure procedures were in place because of a situation happening outside of the school campus. My pulse quickened and the anxiety I had just pushed away rose quickly to the surface. There were texts with friends to try and assess what was going on and also to try and keep each other calm. The feelings of helplessness loomed heavy.

Thankfully, we received a message a short time later that the situation was resolved and that school was operating normally. I let out a sigh of relief but in the same moment thought, thank goodness we avoided something terrible happening…this time. My mind couldn’t help but remind me that while we were okay today, the constant threat of danger was always there. These days, safe places no longer existed.

A few hours later, I saw the news of a shooting at an elementary school in Nashville.

Rage, anger, sadness, disappointment…all the feelings we have when we see this all too often kind of tragedy happening yet again settle in. Guilt. How did my child get lucky today, meanwhile parents just a few hundred miles away are experiencing the worst day of their entire lives. Why were we spared?

But more importantly, why can this continue to happen and how come we can’t protect our precious children? What does anything else matter if we can’t keep our most prized people safe?

Just as I imagine all of you are, I’m tired of thoughts and prayers being the only response. These things cannot bring back the lives cut way too short, and they don’t do anything to ensure that more defenseless children aren’t in harm’s way. I’m tired of politics and money, of finger-pointing and empty words. I’m tired of panicking every time I hear sirens during the school day. I’m tired of wondering not if something is going to happen, but when.

What’s that saying about doing the exact same thing but expecting different results?

Be angry.

Be tired of feeling tired about yet another senseless act of violence.

And then demand change.

Refuse to accept this as anything but preventable. Call your local politicians. Demand action. Here are some easy action steps you can take today.

Fight like our children’s lives depend on it because they do.

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Jody Vitali
Jody and her family made the change from big city life in Chicago to the suburbs of Charleston and couldn't be happier! With an undergraduate degree from Elon University, and a Masters in Counseling from DePaul University, Jody's career path took a different turn when given the opportunity to take over ownership of Charleston Moms. This new adventure has left Jody with so much excitement for continuing the great work that CM has already started, and also very little free time as any business owner knows! In between balancing the responsibilities of being a WAHM, Jody enjoys spending time/keeping up with her two young daughters, date nights with her husband Rob, practicing yoga, exploring Charleston, and indulging in some retail therapy.