Memories are all Some Sandy Hook Elementary Parents Have for the Holidays

Memories are all Some Sandy Hook Elementary Parents Have for the Holidays

  • By Ginger Hill
  • Dec 09, 2013

This Saturday, December 14, 2013 is the day Adam Lanza invaded a Connecticut elementary school with guns and ammo and unloaded round, after round, after round, spraying bullets through the halls, into classrooms…toward children and adults. People (and the media) keep talking about this day as the one year anniversary of Sandy Hook Elementary. Yes, of course, just like 9-11, we (Americans) will always remember this tragic event, but to label it an “anniversary,” which in my opinion marks a time of happiness, is taking it just a tad bit too far for me.

Neil Heslin, dad of Sandy Hook victim, Jesse Lewis, recently appeared on Piers Morgan to respond to the recently released 911 recordings (which by the way, yes, you can hear the popping sounds of gun shots in the background) from this tragedy, but the conversation quickly diverted to the holidays, since they are once again upon us.

Morgan asked Heslin how he is dealing with Christmas personally, and Heslin responded that no one can really know this type of pain unless they have been through it. But, what Heslin reveals next is downright heart breaking.

Last Christmas, Jesse and his dad had put their Christmas tree up together right before the shooting. This year, though, Heslin said, “I’ll probably take the Christmas tree down. We never decorated it.”

Imagine an undecorated tree sitting in your home, and each and every time you simply glance at it, memories of your murdered child haunt your mind.

The sweet, innocent little children who lost their lives and the teachers, some who lost theirs and others who risked it all to shelter their students and wouldn’t think twice about doing it again, should forever be remembered.

So, I ask you, what IS the answer? Is there an answer? Stricter gun laws? More gun education? Gun bans? Why do school shootings keep happening? How many more children (and teachers) will have to lose their lives before we get a handle on this? 

I don’t know that there is an absolute answer, and I don't think we are any closer to a solution. What I do know is that some type of action(s) must take place to keep our children and educational facilities safe. Now's not the time for silence.

About the Author

Ginger Hill is Group Social Media Manager.

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