be bold and mighty forces will come to your aid

in the wake of the events that occurred in connecticut it feels as though this country has been brought to its knees.  and while no one shooting is ever worse than another and all are equally tragic there seems to be more pain surrounding this shooting considering the age of its victims.

throughout the blogging world there are those that have decided to go silent for the day.
out of respect.

while i understand that people will do what they need to do in order to cope i will not be one that sits in silence.
because now is not the time for silence.
now is the time for the power of a humanity that passionately loves one another.
whether in times of tragedy or great joy.

although i am not a mother and can never even begin to understand the pain that these families are enduring i can't help but feel just a tiny fraction of the powerful love that is a parent of their child.  
last night we went to baby b's christmas recital.
and i can't imagine anything more adorable or lovely.
because while the world is riddled with sadness there is still joy.
and we need to choose joy.

in the wake of the shooting a parent of one of the victims released a statement.
his statement was powerful and filled with words to live by.
you can find part of the clip here.

if we are to take take anything away from this let it be these words of robbie parker:

"let it not turn into something that defines us, but something that inspires us to be better, to be more compassionate, and more humble people."