Living with the Lisics

Sometimes you just have to say something. That is the point at which I am at today.

When I found out about the horrible tragedy at Sandy Hook Elementary I literally just started to cry. Innocent little children lost and teachers and school administration sacrificing themselves. I don't have any children myself yet but honestly I just cannot imagine what these parents are going through. Here we are a week before Christmas and it should be the most jolly and happy time of the year, but for them it turned out to be the worst - for all the friends and family of those who were lost. Still now, just thinking about it makes me want to cry. I try not to dwell on the sadness (mostly so I don't start just balling my eyes out at work...) but instead I try to lift up all those families in prayer every time I think about them. I just pray for God to comfort them in this impossible time of grief. Like I said, I just cannot imagine what that community is going through.

But I do know this. If this terrible terrible tragedy happened to someone I loved, was close to, or even maybe just knew, I would NOT be happy if people started turning it into political statements. And that is exactly what I have seen through social media...particularly Facebook...these past few days.

I am not talking about gun control. I won't go into that. Because that is everywhere too. What I am talking about is the multiple people I am friends with on Facebook, some even that I have gone to church with, saying that this tragedy is the same type of tragedy that happens every day with abortion. Now don't get me wrong. I am very against abortion. I will tell that to anyone who asks me about that because I do think it is a tragedy to murder innocent babies that have no choice in the matter. And while these two things are both tragedies, they are NOT the same.

When a mother chooses to have an abortion, she chooses to take the life of her baby. It is wrong and sad, no doubt about it. But these parents did not choose any of this. They chose to have their baby and raise a child and in no way did any of these parents choose for this awful thing to happen. It is just simply not the same situation; and to say it is, is so disrespectful to the parents and loved ones of all the victims. And honestly it just upsets me even more. I know that abortion is a terrible thing, and I am sad for all the lost babies who don't get a chance at life, but I will choose to not make political statements in regard to this tragedy for the sake of the victims and their families. I do not think that any of them would ever even see something I or one of my friends posted on Facebook  but that is not the point. The point is to do what is right because it is right, and to me that means simply expressing sorrow for them in the most respectful way possible and continually praying for them. If it was my family or your family, don't you think that is what you would want to?

-samantha