When it Hits Close to Home

You see the news stories. Shootings here. Shootings there. Every day it seems like there's another one. Within the last 2 weeks, I can count at least 3.

Two Fridays ago, a man shot up a yoga studio in Florida. And in that studio was my friend's sister who I adore. Who I jokingly dubbed my "spirit animal" at my friend's bachelorette party. She was just up here in Virginia last month with her daughter visiting.
My friend's sister is a mom to a baby girl not much younger than Ella. She was practicing yoga. She's a mom, a wife, a lawyer, a sister, a daughter among many other things. She didn't deserve to get shot.

I typically don't write very political posts here, but when it hits close to home like this, I can't stay quiet.

We need to do more to protect the people we love, and the people we don't even know. Because no one deserves to be shot because they were at a concert. Practicing yoga. Going to school. At work. etc etc etc

No one is trying to take away people's ability to have guns. If you want a gun, good for you. If you want to go hunting, have at it. But you don't need something that will hunt PEOPLE. HUMANS! Mental health is a part of this, but you can't ignore the role that easy access to guns--automatic weapons--plays in this. 


I hear constantly that "it's too soon" to talk about what is happening with the rise up of mass shootings and instead thoughts and prayers are sent. Thoughts and prayers are wonderful, but they didn't stop two more mass shootings from happening within a week of my friend's sister being shot. Thoughts and prayers don't take away the entry and exit scars that my friend's sister will have for life. Thoughts and prayers only go so far. 

The saddest commentary on this is that when we heard about it, MG said "I guess it was only a matter of time before it happened to someone we know." I don't want to live my life like this, and I don't want our kids to live their lives like this. 

8 comments:

  1. You know I always say the same thing about cancer, "It's only a matter of time before it happens to someone you know" so it's incredibly terrible to say the same about shootings..ugh. They are both horrible.

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  2. Tallahassee was my home for many years and I frequented a restaurant in that same shopping center. I thought it hit close to home. But this one really hit close for you. Prayers for a full and speedy recovery for your friend's sister and your spirit animal. We have to do better. We have to start somewhere with this issue.

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  3. I think mental health is all of this. People who are mentally healthy do not shoot other people and especially not at random. Last week, in CA, a man used a gun that was not illegal and CA is the state that has the strictest possible gun laws. He was tracked as being mentally unstable and it still happened. As a teacher, this terrifies me and as a human it terrifies me. Any gun can kill a human.

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  4. Jenn, that is so devastating! My heart goes out to her family, friends, you! We've talked about these shootings being so nonsensical before but a Yoga studio? What on earth? YES, something needs to be done to prevent this heinous and fatal crime from being repeated and stopped. xx Emily @ Martinis & Bikinis

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  5. I am so sorry that this happened. And I agree with you 100% about needing stricter gun laws. I understand why people want them, but somebody needs to do SOMETHING to make the screening process much harder.

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  6. All of it is so crazy and out of control. I am so sorry to hear about your friend's sister. I think a lot us share the same sentiment as MG. And that is beyond awful.

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  7. My goodness, I am SO sorry! Seeing these types of stories on the news week after week is just heartbreaking.

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