What do we do now?
Anger. Much anger. Debate. Much debate.
In the aftermath of the Newtown tragedy I find myself reading many, many posts. Mental illness, gun control, school safety. What do we do now?
I’m not someone who would even think of myself as a professional or an expert but it seems to me that these discussions are attempts to somehow erase the indelible horrors that have painted pained images into our minds.
After spending 30 hours in the midst of the horrors of 9-11; it took me years to be able not to see the images that were burned in my mind every time I shut my eyes. The nightmares and visuals happen from time to time to this day eleven years later. I remember the days following that event and how I tried to somehow to “make sense’ of it all.
I came to the realization, with help, that we cannot make sense of it all. In fact, hard as we may, we cannot make sense of ANY of it. Because none of it makes any sense. What we can do is become more aware of our world and what is important.
We cannot control that which is thrust upon us by someone else’s actions. My friend Moira stated in a post recently that (paraphrased) we the diabetes community are very aware of dealing with tragic events. This is not a comparison to anything else except to state that we in the diabetes community have invested our hearts, our pains, our fears, our joys, and so much more in the community we belong; the diabetes community. And it is almost as if we are more prepared for……..well much more than many others who do not know what we go through, and do not know about community until it is needed so badly.
So when everything started happening, I sought out those who are in my community. Those I turn to everyday. I was not disappointed. SO many perspectives and what I learned from our community is to not try to find sense in anything, but rather; those we hold close…hold just a tad closer. Notice the fresh air. Notice the sound, the music, the love which surrounds all of us. The DOC allows us a place to turn.
It has been what has gotten us through before, and what will get us through again today, and what will also be there for us tomorrow; when it unfortunately will be needed again.
In the diabetes community, we do, have each other. I am grateful for that.
I am a diabetesdad.
One reply on “Newtown, Ct. Tragedy: We, at Least, have Somewhere to Turn.”
I grew up less than 10 miles away from this school, and my 2 cousins attended Newtown public schools (and their mother taught in the school system until retiring over a decade ago). Newtown is a place that’s a very typical, New England small town, but as kids, we thought it was an incredibly boring place which was supposedly something that prevented tragedies like this from happening. However, the debate about how and why these things keep happening across the country (indeed, there was a shooting at a shopping mall in Oregon just a week or 2 ago) is one that deserves the attention it is receiving today.
However, your point about diabetes as a community holding these things we’ve accomplished near to us is probably very appropriate. Waiting until later should not be something we do because one never knows what the future holds.