A Child Shall Lead Them.........

On May 8, 1996 at 10:01pm my life changed in a way that words cannot describe.  For the first time in my life, I had learned what real love for someone was all about and how it felt.  As I looked in to the eyes of my first born, my beautiful daughter, I realized that life was not about me and that love would make me do things I never imagined were possible.  It was on that day in that very moment that I became a man.  On October 19, 2001 at 7:05am as doctors brought my first son in to the world over 3 months before he was due, I was told they would do everything they could but he wouldn't make it due to the lack of development.  For over 3 months I sat with him every single day, praying, asking a God who I was truly  mad at to at the very least, take care of my son.  I watched the monitors every moment to make sure they never dropped or provided that straight line that tells us all it is over.  It was during this time I grew up as a man.  It changed my life, my outlook and made me humble.

Through the most recent pregnancies with my wife and our two new boys and even now, it has been a path that has revealed to me more than any other time in my life.  In addition to that, as I have raised my children over the years, for as much as I attempt to teach them and guide them, I believe I have learned more than I could ever teach.  My children have taught me about love, patience, values, caring and sacrifice.  Along with these main things, there is so much more.  They provide me with a sense of urgency and drive.  When I feel discouraged they uplift me in a way that carries me through.  When I get upset they love on me and remind me that there are things more important in life then worrying about what's next.  When I am hurt and sad they come to me and fill me with joy and love that turns any pain I may feel away.  This is the impact my children have on me.  They make life so much fun and exciting.  They provide love in a greater and more honest form that lets us know it is real and they simply just make you smile when you don't even want to.  Children change our lives in ways that nothing and no one else can.

Recently in a small town of Newtown, Connecticut, 26 innocent individuals were killed by one man who walked in to an Elementary school early one morning and unleashed a fury of bullets that would change a community forever.  Of those 26 individuals killed, 20 were children all under the age of 10.  This is a tragedy that has struck the very heart of every individual in our country and I am sure others around the world.  The killing of 26 people itself is a remarkable shock to anyone and adding to it that 20 of those killed were kids simply breaks the hearts of even the toughest and coldest of people.  20 children killed by multiple gun shots from an individual who media, law enforcement, and the public will investigate for months to seek the one answer we will truly never know...and that is "why?"  Simply put.....he is a crazy and sick young man who performed a cowardly act.  Maybe someone missed something.  Maybe he was overlooked by someone who should have paid a little more attention leading up to this point.  The "Why?" in this truthfully will not matter because to know "Why" would give the perception that it would or could somehow be justified and that is just not possible.  "Why?" he did it will not bring resolve to this community or the families.  It will not bring about justification or return the lives of those 26 individuals back.  "Why?" simply will not bring about any solution to on ongoing problem that has existed for years and has taken center stage from Columbine to Chicago.  Florida to Oregon and now to Conneticut.  The problem is due to lack of management in gun distribution and a greater lack of individuals standing up and taking charge or our communities.  I could go on about the fact we allowed prayer to be taken out of our schools and removed from various forms of tradition.  I could address the fact parents have allowed children to play video games that show extremely graphic violence and killing.  I could express my concern about our sadistic desire to see violence ourselves in movies and news clips.  I could raise my concerns about the lack of Christians standing up in all of this and allowing the world to try and fix the world.  That is like darkness trying to shine on darkness.  I also could go in to the fact that we as a society have become so greedy, selfish, and ignorant to the needs of so much around us that we have become completely blind to the very basic idea that life itself is of great value and worth protecting.  We have put God in a box and put HIM on a shelf high above others reach and told HIM to stay put so HE doesn't offend anyone as you navigate through life.  When you turn around and find yourself hurting you try and reach for that box but you put it so high and ignored it you can't even remember what shelf you put it on.  Then when tragedies like this occur because of the choice of man, you ask that foolish question of "why would God allow this to happen?"  Why ask a question like this when you made the choice to put God away?  I could get in to all of this and be justified in my discussion, but I reserve that for another time.  This message, this writing is much more simplified for the basics in us all.  We NEED to change....and like the birth of each of my children have changed me, made me better, pushed me, and grew me up.....it is sad we must wait for the death of 20 children to do the same. 

Rather than look for the why....let's focus on the "What now."  Change.  If the death of 20 children does not cause you to desire more change when anyone of those kids could have been yours then I encourage you to seek counsel and do not purchase a gun.  It is always the tragedy where children are involved that seems to move this country in to a place of desired change.  So let's change it.  Stop ignoring the video games.  Stop using God like you are his manager.  Stop allowing society to attempt to fix a problem it is a part of.  Stop sitting silent while our children are ignored in the ongoing marry-go-round of politics.  Stop hiding the light that God has called you to shine in the world and acting like it is a curse.  If you truly want to know the "why?"  then look at us.  We are the reason tragedies like this happen.  We are the reason people who should never own a butter knife end up with high powered assault rifles.  We sit on our hands and due all we can to protect our rights as citizens...when we destroy more rights then we save.....even at the expense of 26 innocent individuals....at the expense of 20 little children.  I am all for gun rights and I support the right to carry a gun and have more than one.  I am so much for it that I am willing to allow specific medical records be revealed to show that I am not on medication nor in some form or counseling that would indicate a risk.  I am willing to provide documentation as to what the guns will be used for and a legitimate reason as to why I need to carry it on me at times.  I am willing to allow my taxes to increase in order to pay for state funded security for our schools.  Funds that employ city police officers to patrol the school and halls and protect our children.  I am willing to allow my tax dollars to provide additional security measures to include installing detectors on every entrance of our schools to detect weapons or potential weapons.  I am in support of random searches of our childrens lockers and back packs in an effort to deter holding weapons and or drugs.  I know many will say that is a breach of privacy and for that I submit this thought.  If you are employed by a company and use a work computer or sit at a work desk....do you believe that they do not have a right to conduct random searches or view what you look at on your computer?  They do have that right and they do exercise it often.  Our schools are designed to teach and while our kids are they we hold the school responsible for protecting our children so we should grant them the tools to do such.  I am willing to allow these things to take place not because of the death of 26 individuals where 20 were children but because of the birth of the four I father.  Again, they changed the way I view things and my intentions behind my actions.

Will this eliminate all major tragedies?  No.  However, it will deter many who think about it and make us much more responsible and much more involved.  So if this tragedy truly has made you look at things in a much more serious manner.  If the killing of 20 children do nothing else...at least let their death move us in a direction of change.  Change that will save the next group of children.  Children that could be yours.  Lastly, lets not wait for the death of multiple children move us to action and change, let's look for the birth of them to do it first.