Sandy Hook shatters the hearts of an entire country

The death of any person is a tragedy to that person’s loved ones. But the death of a child, whose life has scarcely yet begun, is a tragedy of enough magnitude to shatter the hearts of an entire country.

One afternoon a few weeks ago, I walked home as I usually do. I arrived, and immediately plopped down on the couch with a snack. Before I could do much else, the phone rang. To my surprise, it was the principal of Canyon Middle School, Mark Croghan.

He proceeded to explain the shooting at Sandy Hook and expressed his condolences to any families affected by it. I was perplexed, having not heard anything about these shootings until I received the phone call. It was around that time that my father returned home from work. I asked him what had happened, and in that moment, I was told one of the most heart-wrenching stories I have ever heard.

Twenty young children had died along with the brave teachers who sought to protect the students they loved so dearly. Twenty innocent, pure lives had been taken by a madman in Connecticut. Twenty tiny faces that would never smile again and would never get to finish learning their ABCs. Twenty voices that could never again be able to tell their own families that they love them, or admonish their mothers that they really could not be caught wearing that ugly coat to school. Twenty small children–the very picture of naiveté, the future leaders, Nobel Prize winners, and humanitarians–had been gunned down by a heartless maniac.

I cannot express my heartbreak simply. I felt a strong urge to hug each member of my family as they arrived home, and remind each of them how much they mean to me. My heart and thoughts will remain with the families, friends, and loved ones of the lost, as well as the people of Newtown, Connecticut as they mourn. I would like to acknowledge the bravery of the teachers who stood in the way of the gunman and saved the lives of as many students as they could. The respect I feel for these brave individuals is unwavering.

I will in no way try to remember the perpetrator of this horrific event. I will instead be lending my thoughts and deepest sympathy to the victims. I have the utmost respect for the victims who risked their lives to save others. It takes a lot of courage to stand up and face death as some of these teachers and children did.

The loss of so many innocent lives is a crime nearly unimaginable in its cruelty. All we can do is to keep the ones we love close to us and keep our focus on the victims, instead of the awful man who ended their lives.