I'm from Newtown, and I have something to say to the world: [View all]

[Melinda]

I don't care about karma, that's why I made this throwaway.

I was raised in newtown from aged 8 until my graduation from N.H.S. I walked the hallways of Sandy Hook Elementary school and have nothing but positive memories of the place. I remember Mrs. Chard in the library, always smiling and never having a bad thing to say about us. I remember when, in 4th grade, the teachers decided to let us have a bit of fun during lunch and they brought in a karaoke machine for anyone to use. I remember seeing the same sign you've seen on tv every morning before I entered a school full of love, happiness and innocence. Like you, I always considered my hometown a bit special, a bit above the violence and carelessness of the world; a safe haven for my development into the young man I am today.

I was torn apart, as was the rest of the world, when I awoke Friday morning to the news. My best friends mother was freaking out, I knew I had to be with them, and I stayed with them all day.Bit by bit our neighbors and friends chimed in, letting us know their children were safe. Some stayed quiet, and we knew why.

We all gathered, at Saint Rose to mourn the death of children so young, and the teachers who saved them. If you can imagine what it's like mourning the death of the little neighbor you used to babysit, or the kids you watched hop up on the bus every morning, you can understand that it's a solitary moment. As a community we gathered, forgoing the feuds (and trust me, we're human, we aren't perfect to one another at all times in this town, just like in yours) all the bitterness and anger, and we came together in love.

You can comprehend my anger at hearing cameras go off as I watched my best friends father break down. You can relate you wanting some alone time to be able to talk about how to get over this as a community without the intrusion of public opinion, reporters, and all the like. To the reporters hoping to get a Pulitzer prize for their efforts yesterday I ask: Is your soul worth it?

Read full post and thread here

To be clear - these are not my words, nor my experience. I am bringing them to DU from another site. I thought DU might like to read the heartbreaking perspective of one of Newton, CT young residents, as well as survivors of the VA Tech and Aurora killings. The thread is HUGE, but full of wisdom and insight and other things worth learning or even considering. There is much information there from friends of the Lanza family, especially friends of Ryan Lanza's. There is a link to an on-point video made by someone named Charlie Booker after a similar massacre in Germany back in 2009; the admonishment by a Psychiatrist is brilliant:

Might we could all take a step back, and reflect.