Parkland Massacre

Yesterday’s massacre was incompressible. I am certain that Fernanda and I are not the only parents who held our child especially tight last night. Although our grief can never rival the level of suffering those affected by yesterday’s tragedy will endure, we are all grieving with Parkland.  We are all grieving because those 17 innocent souls we lost could have included any of our children. We are all grieving because Parkland could have been Pinecrest, or Hialeah, or Miami Gardens, or Homestead, or Coconut Grove.

It is natural that grief invites anger, and anger invites a desire to blame.  We must not, however, allow the diverse and passionate views about what caused this massacre to overshadow the fact that we grieve together, as one.  We must not lose hope that although yesterday we fell hard, we will be able to come together and pull ourselves back up to make this world a safer place for our children.  And although it may be easier simply to succumb to the illusion that our community is hopelessly divided, we should draw inspiration from the accounts of the brave children of Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School -- children who, in the midst of terror and uncertainty, held each other tightly and reassured each other not to lose hope that they could pull themselves back up.  Their example serves a reminder that what unites us will always be stronger than what divides us.