Saturday was the last night of Hanukkah.
It's meant to be a joyous occasion, and it is but I couldn't help but think of those twenty precious children as I lit the candles, knowing that for their families and those of their educators, there would be no joy this holiday season.
I watched as the candles burned brightly, and my heart ached knowing that too many young, beautiful flames had been snuffed out decades too soon.
What else is there to say?
How about..
Please define "meaningful action" in a way that gives your nation hope that this may never happen again - that you may never need to wipe another tear for the senseless death of a child - for twenty children.
I hope you will be the first leader of your country to make this difference.
Thank you for giving your own lives to protect the innocents in your charge. You, along with your fallen co-workers are true heroes.
Please visit one of our regular bloggers, Sandy Carlson to read a fine tribute to Dawn Hochsprung, Her daughter was one of her students a few years back.
I wish the grieving families strength to get through this horrible time.
Rest in peace, beautiful people.
Sleep tight, little angels.
Gone too soon.
Little Angels and Courageous School Staff
Charlotte Bacon, Daniel Barden, Olivia Engel, Josephine Gay, Ana Marquez-Greene, Dylan Hockley, Madeleine Hsu, Catherine Hubbard, Chase Kowalski, Jesse Lewis, James Mattioli, Grace McDonnell, Emilie Parker, Jack Pinto, Noah Pozner, Caroline Previdi, Avielle Richman, Jessica Rekos, Benjamin Wheeler, Allison Wyatt
Dawn Hochsprung, Mary Sherlach, Victoria Soto, Anne Marie Murphy, Lauren Rousseau, Rachel Davino.
Dawn Hochsprung, Mary Sherlach, Victoria Soto, Anne Marie Murphy, Lauren Rousseau, Rachel Davino.
54 comments:
Hilary, this is a beautiful tribute. I was in tears reading it.
I hope America will review the gun laws this time, so there is never another tragedy like this.
Thank you Hilary. This a heartfelt tribute and much appreciated.
Touchingly written and beautifully photographed, my friend.
Beautiful Hilary. We do need better gun control and a more positive attitude towards educators in this country.
Thank you for bringing so much light into the world. Every one of us who has lost a loved one can say thank you. And we can only hope that something good will come out of this horrible tragedy.
Just so sad. A tribute that should never have been necessary.
thank you for your memorial in this..its a sad time for sure...one i have a hard time processing still and feeling heavy for the parents that woke to no children...
I am absolutely shredded. So senseless. Little angels and big angels.
This is the most beautiful tribute I've read. I pray that we can find some way of halting these senseless acts. I'm just numb trying to figure out how this can happen and why. Thank you for your wonderful images and thoughts.
What a lovely tribute. It touches all the sides of feelings about this tragedy and like you I wait patiently for "meaningful" action on this.
Sad times and very thoughtful of you.
thank you for the lovely collage.
i do not know if any leader can make a change in this heavily divided country.
A beautiful tribute, and i know we all wish we could do more.
Well done, and not a mention of the deamon responsible...thank you
I am crying my eyes out, thanks Hilary.
Hilary, what a moving tribute! Your pictures and words are profound; thanks for expressing the grief we all feel.
Hilary, this is so beautiful. I'm crying all over again. A crime like this is so senseless and seems to be happening more and more. Some People are crazy and evil, but then there are so many people who are good, like you.
Hilary, thank you for this very beautiful memorial for those who died.
We are all touched by this senseless tragedy. Your voice of tribute, love, light and rememberance is much appreciated. Thank you, Oma Linda
I hereby bestow apon you "Most Poignant Blog Post Ever".
You said it all so well.
Beautiful. Just beautiful.
thank you so much for this, hilary. this is all just so heartbreaking. i am sitting here wiping my face and imagining the tears shed by the families of those precious angels and heroic teachers. your tribute is fitting and beautiful.
I'm not sure what the answers are, but we, as a country, must do some serious soul searching.
We decorated our Christmas tree last night and I spent a great deal of time thinking about those children and their families.
Your post was a good one.
Thank you for posting this wonderful tribute. My heart grieves for the families.
a beautiful tribute ... may they rest in peace and may their families and friends take comfort and strength from good memories ...
Like most, my heart is heavy for the families and friends of the slain. May they be granted the courage necessary to get through this.
The candles are so beautiful and very apt considering the terrible happening in the USA. What a terrible tragedy and all so pointless and such a waste of innocent lives. A tribute to the brave teachers.
Lovely candle photos. Thought provoking post.
Maggie x
Nuts in May
Well said. When you see the names and the candles it brings tears to think that these young people ,were blown away.
Nice touch to use the candles.
I don't hold out any hope that something meaningful will be done. They will be the same as the buffalo. They will shoot until the last man standing.
Beautiful, beautiful tribute, Hilary. Thank you.
A beautiful post, and a lovely memorial.I want to add my prayer that something good--a call to action-- comes from this otherwise senseless tragedy.
What a poignant post. Such a very sad and senseless tragedy.
Your pictures are so meaningful.
God bless everyone touched by this madness.
GONE TOO SOON is the best photo of the year. What a statement. You have such a rare talent. Thank you again for sharing it with us. We are the richer for it.
Truly,
Gayle
Thank you for this Hilary. May healing thoughts go out to the entire Newtown community, and may a meaningful action follow.
Thank you so much for this profoundly beautiful post.
I am hoping "meaningful action" will become gun control legislation in a country that has none and mental health care legislation that openly respects the fact that some folks are dangerous.
Mr. Obama was careful to pronounce Newtown and scripture correctly. He caught hell for that down here in the Land of the Ridiculous. I am sure he was careful to say nothing that could desecrate the moment with Republican politics. His words were very careful. He'll make the change. I am sure of it.
so beautifully done Hilary, thank you
the names of the children always really makes it so real to me, I just heard the President read each name as he ended his remarks at the service in Newtown
the NRA and the Republicans and the right will crucify him for trying to take meaningful action, they have already started.
Peace Hil
and lots of hugs
yes, so very sad
your post has touched my heart
thank you~
We had a similar event at a tourist destination a number of years ago - the Australia government took action and removed huge numbers of guns from the community - they bought them and destroyed them.
Its a model that deserves attention.
Stewart M - Australia
I like so many wish there was something I could do or say too help ease their pain. There isn't...so I pray and hold them close to my heart. He who is capable will tender and heal their hearts...He can do the wondrous.
Hugs
SueAnn
A lovely tribute... broken hearted :-(
Tears. What else can there be? So utterly heartbreaking...
Such a moving tribute to this senseless tragedy.
Oh Hilary... This is so beautiful and heartfelt. Thank you.
My husband and I have cried many times over the past few days and have finally made it a point to stop watching the endless media circus that surrounds it.
We cried as we lit the candles on the last night of Hanukkah and again this morning when we knew the funerals had begun.
Our hearts are breaking and we're praying for REAL "meaningful action" by our nation's leaders.
xoxo jj
oh Hilary, such a heart centered and profoundly beautiful tribute. It was hard to light the my chanukia that night too.
blessings to you sweet friend
A sweet tribute, Hilary. Regardless of what "meaningful action" is taken, until you change hearts, the results will never change. Praying that hearts and souls are changed to love not hate.
You have me in tears. Yes, I have been thinking of the same. I can't begin to conceive of the suffering of these families. It reminds us all in the most tragic heart wrenching way of how precious and fragile each tender life is... Thank you for this sensitive post and sharing the grief our country carries for her children and the other victims whose lives have recently been stolen.
Thnak you for this hearttouching blog!
dear hilary, what a wonderful, heartfelt tribute, thank you.
what heartbreak.
weeping...
A virtual candle vigil. That is a touching blog tribute. Thankyou.
Beautiful tribute Hilary.
This is such a beautiful, heartfelt tribute to those precious souls gone too soon.
thank you for creating this living sacrifice of love and comfort!!!!
Aloha from Waikiki, my Friend
Comfort Spiral
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Oh, Hilary, this is beautiful. Thank you.
I too am in tears reading this, Hilary. I am off now to visit the site you've suggested. This is a beautiful, heartfelt tribute that will inspire all who visit here!
Very nice tribute for an extremely sad tragedy.
Most thoughtful and, as always, well done.
I also thank you for this beautiful tribute Hilary. Lets hope that the largest ever count of public opinion in the uSA forces the gun supporters to accept change. It's an archaic right anyway - Dave
I could not have read this any sooner. Your words and photos brought tears to my eyes even weeks after, from the beginning to the listing of names, which I read one by one in their honor.
I want to believe that my country can change the law that allows the purchase and ownership of assault weapons... but hearing and seeing the comments of those who own guns (and they are legion) makes me realize that it may be nigh-impossible to change. Many of them watch one network and one network only ("faux" news) and these people actually believe that if they give up their guns they will be powerless against their own government and the hordes of criminals that lay in wait for them. These are real people who have been seriously deluded in their thinking and now follow a call of hysteria led by liars. I fear for my country and its future. And it makes me cry because some of those deluded are people I consider to be friends. They refuse to reason or to consider what other "first world" countries have done, all while they spout quotes and twisted statistics.
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