Wings and a Wand

5/26/25 – This holiday means so much to so many. While I have not lost someone in a war, I have had family members who have served ready to do so i.e. my dad, my father-in-law, and my husband.  I am thankful for their service and for those who sacrificed it all.

I also reflect on those precious lives lost near this date not far from me today in Uvalde. The last time that my husband and I were here at our place in Utopia, we went at the end of December to remember those lost at Robb Elementary. The more permanent memorial is in the old town square, but more important one to us was the simple family one at the fenced-in school. It is there that you sense the raw pain, the sorrow of the surrounding neighborhood, and then, the prayers and tears just start to flow from your heart. I started my career teaching precious 4th graders like these. In their pictures, I see my students and my compassion is overwhelming.  All I can hope is that my prayers that day brought a little more peace to the atmosphere and more attention to the need for us as a society to do better for our children and for their teachers.