It is Something to Think Back to December, 2012, and to Realize We Continue to Be Where We Are Today. Live. Laugh. Love.

We all have memories of December, 2012, when the Sandy Hook tragedy occurred, especially in Connecticut. It seems to be a mark on U.S. history where too many of us in this nation gave up on humanity, chose hopelessness, and watered the garden of hatred, lies, misinformation, guns, and conspiracy. Yes, There were tragic shootings before, too.

 

I wish it wasn't true, but in 2023, it's easy to see that the devil arriving in Newtown, has only been given steroids on social media. Large portions of this nation chose, and continue to choose, guns over the poor children and teachers who died that day. Even when the lies are proven wrong, the liars have followers who believe them. They opt to be sick and remain ill with no morals and questionable beliefs.

One only needs to open a newspaper, turn on the television, listen to the radio, or talk to a neighbor to see the devil everywhere.

But hope remains. It has remained for over ten years and I'm reminded of this when so many lace up their kicks and run in memory of Vicki Soto, all to raise money for scholarships to be given to young people to get an education, enter a career, and make the world a better place. I ran, well ran/walk, in memory of Maureen Polacci.

Live. Laugh. Love.

Pink flamingos. Getting outdoors for a great cause. Have remembrance and looking to the sky for joy and promise. 

I can't help to think, however, about that day, these races that have followed, the fact that Vicki Soto Lane is less than a mile from my house, and it took lawsuits to bring forth justice, even as the injustice of the liars (a cult of fanatics who live by hate and spite, rather than human togethernes). Ugly feeds their souls and there are many of them, in multiple capacities, in our nation and around the world.

It's hard not to get overly cynical and want to hide from it all.

But the runners. The Soto family. Educators from all over. And young people, many not even born at that time, gather to run in memory of the tragedy, a true story the heartless will never know or feel.

Live. Laugh. Love. Flamingos.