Our New, Current United States of America

I'm sure you've noticed I haven't blogged in awhile.  We went back to Raleigh for Brad's first half Ironman then to Myrtle Beach with one of my best friends and her little family.  It was wonderful pulling back from technology and being present in the moment.  However, I really couldn't wait to get back to blogging.  I even had my first post planned for when we got back, but then as you know, Orlando happened.  I think about what happened constantly.  There was absolutely no way I could write about a dining room, or a beautifully landscaped yard, or anything else design related.  You see all this stuff I write about on the blog is written through rose colored glasses.  And you know that.  We post the best picture of our kids and family, talk about how great our lives are, but really behind that iPhone is LIFE.  And life right now is filled with sadness for those 49 victims and their families.  

I'm not going to make this any sort of political, gun talk conversation.  I really just needed to clear my mind.  I felt guilty writing about silly interior design stuff when we have families planning funerals, parents sitting in hospitals holding out hope for their child, when reality is they might not make it.  How did the United States of America come to this?  The media focuses on the "newest" shooting for awhile, then it becomes old news yet there are hundreds of families still feeling the pain of not having their loved one here anymore.  

As a parent, I'm sure any parent reading this, now worries for their child.  What's crazy is as I was standing at the finish line of Brad's race in Raleigh, my mind went to the Boston bombings and how my children and I were standing right where that black backpack was placed and 8 year old Martin Richard died and several others.  I thought "well this would be a perfect time for someone to place a bomb.  Lots of people, it's the perfect place".  How did this happen??  Why am I thinking about that??  Are we going to have to start planning where it's safe to be now?  I was going to say where it's not safe but really the list is too long.  Races, grocery stores, schools, clubs, movie theaters, churches, place of employment, the mall, those are all out.  So unless we make changes my only guess is to hole up in our houses.  But we can't live like that.  All I know is what we're doing now isn't working.  I feel like it's only a matter of time before it hits someone I know, right?  I mean the statistics are there.

When did it become ok to kill someone because they didn't believe in what you believed?  What made America so great is you could have your own views and opinions and it was ok.  I mean come on, who cares if a man loves another man?  Is it affecting you? No.  Are they happy?  Yes.  Do they deserve to be happy and have love?  Absolutely.  

So tonight for all the victims families over all the years, I send you my love.  I'm sorry for all your pain and sorrow, you don't deserve it.