Daymaker - a person who performs acts of kindness with the intention of making the world a better place.
~ David Wagner
, author of Life as a Daymaker; how to change the world by making someone's day ~

DayMaker - any thought, word, or deed that spreads happiness, compassion, or fruitful ideas.
~ Annis Cassells ~

Wednesday, October 4, 2017

When There's a Connection

Photo from Public Domain

Sandy Hook, San Bernardino, Orlando, Las Vegas. These cities, obscure to some and popular to others, are now forever linked by the violence that has rained down on innocent people.

We grieve for the victims, feel for the survivors and families that are affected. We can hold them in our thoughts and prayers. But nothing –nothing – will ever be “normal” again. Not for them. Not for us.

For me, living in Bakersfield, a four-hour drive from Las Vegas, has meant spur-of-the-moment weekend trips or planned vacations with friends to take in some shows. One year we held our family reunion in Las Vegas. Its ease of getting there by plane from anywhere in the country figured in to the decision.

Living in Bakersfield, the city known as Nashville West, means our neighbors and friends were at last Sunday night’s concert in Las Vegas. We lost several. I, personally, didn’t know any of the folks whose names and photos have appeared in the local paper and on the news.

But, I’m connected through friends and acquaintances and by geography. To the 20-year old woman who loved country music. To the brave gentleman who shielded his wife from the gunfire and lost his life. To the Bakersfield police officer who was wounded. To the woman from Tehachapi who is recovering from surgery after being shot three times. To the several other Kern County residents who were wounded or killed. And to the young Bakersfield woman and her family who’d planned to stay until Monday but, on the spur of the moment, decided to leave Sunday. 

I feel for these folks and their families. I'm angry and saddened they've had to endure this trauma.

I’ve observed that change is most likely to occur when there is a personal connection to an issue, a person, or a problem. The rapid news cycle, television, social media, and travel connect us to events, people, and places and put them with us and within us forever. We are all connected.

The Las Vegas shooter’s amassing of the types and amount of weaponry we’ve seen went far beyond what the Founding Fathers meant when they instituted the 2nd Amendment.  They could not have envisioned what’s taking place in our country today. I sure didn’t.

If you’ve been wondering what you can do to help stop the carnage, please consider contacting your Congress persons and making your voice heard. If “this is not the right time," I don’t know when the right time will be.


~ xoA ~

14 comments:

  1. There is no right time. Now is the only time we have.

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  2. A very thoughtful post. I too have feelings of anger and frustration and sadness. I'm tired of people offering their prayers. That alone doesn't get guns off the streets, or out of the hands of mad men. It's way past time for reasonable gun laws and I think it's shameful lawmakers have done nothing to improve the situation. In fact they done many things that make it worse. The lessen gun laws, people with mental illnesses can buy legally. They're trying to pass more conceal carry around the country. and the silencer law, and kids at a younger age, campuses, schools etc. Just returned from a trip to Ireland and Scotland and they are applaud at the gun crazy society that exists here in the states. The conversation come up, as we were there when the shootings in Vegas happened.

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  3. Making blog rounds again. Hope you're ok, been awhile since you've posted.

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  4. Popping back in, in hopes you're back. I do hope you're doing ok.

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    1. Sandy, thanks for your notes and concern. I am doing fine, just busy doing some other things right now. I hope to get back to The DayMaker before too long. Bless your heart and Happy Holidays. xoA

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  5. Thank you for this article. I had a friend who, fortunately got out but not without bumps and bruises. I never had anyone who, I knew go through anything like it. It was the first time I saw what the trauma can do up close and personal. She ducked to free her shoe from getting stuck just as a bullet was fired in her direction. Another friend there on the same weekend left with his family Sunday. They were not impacted by the trauma.

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    1. Wow! What an experience. Yes, the traumatic effect is something. And long lasting. Thanks for taking the time to read and comment, Isabella. xoA

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  6. Been awhile since I've been out blog walking my blog log, so thought I'd pop in and say hi. Hope you're ok.

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  7. Out blog walking so thought I'd pop back to see if you were here.

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  8. Thought I'd pop in just once more to see if you were here. If and when you get back to blogging, please sing out so we can re-connect. Take Care.

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