“It is often in the darkest
skies that we see the
brightest stars.”
― Richard Evans
Newtown.
That name now has so many connotations and denotations. When I think of Newtown, I think of the beautiful street that I lived on, the horses I would drive by and the friendly neighbors I would encounter while jogging just a few years ago. I also remember the day that Newton faced the horrible tragedy known now as the Newtown School Shooting. It seems just like yesterday that I was at Brook Farm in my office when some of my co-workers were going on about the news. When I took a moment to read the report and uncover the facts, my heart dropped.
One of our veterinarians here at the practice (who currently practices holistic medicine including Chinese herbs and acupuncture) has young children and lived in proximity to Newtown. Though he wasn't scheduled to work that day, everyone's mind immediately rolled over to him and his young children. Fortunately, his family and his children were safe and had been out of town on the day of the shooting. Though I was thankful for their safety, my heart was heavy knowing that so many other families were not as fortunate.
It is almost one year to the day that this horrible tragedy struck so close to home. I write this knowing that I am alive, healthy and happy; I can have children, I can play with the office dog, Klinker, and I can (one day!) get married. This I remember knowing that there are others who are not as fortunate as I, who are still feeling loss and pain in the wake of this tragedy, and who we must always vow to remember.
As Evans writes in the quote above, we must always remember to see the light even in the darkest of situations. Despite the pain that this tragedy inflicted is still very real, I know that the families and their friends affected still have hope. The darker the moment, the brighter the blessings when we have a chance to experience them.
What can we take away, close to 360 days after December 14th, 2012? We can look at the outpour of love which flowed into the Newtown community support those families. The amount of love and help that was demonstrated last year and that is still being demonstrated reminds us that there are thousands of stars in the sky... sometimes you just need the darkness to see them.
