Hearts and Flags

As we bring this week to a close, we have been witness to so many signs of love and kindness.  A week which was designated for ‘Random Acts of Kindness’.  A week which included sharing of love on Valentine’s Day.  A week which contained so much sharing of kind hearts throughout our Newtown community and beyond.  We continue to fill our hearts through acts of kindness, compliments, Hearts of Hope, Kindness Coins, and much more.  Children are reaching out from Connecticut, New Jersey, New York through Pennsylvania and Ohio, to Minnesota, into Texas, up to Canada, and elsewhere.  We hear about their giving, their caring, and their love.   Schools have been inspired and are participating in kindness programs.  Kids are giving and not expecting something in return.  Children are appreciating the feelings of others and recognizing their ability to positively influence another one’s day.

A week with so much hope and love, yet still a week full of such mixed emotions as we continue to try to combat the loss which we have suffered.  The world still mourns.  Many are forever changed.  In our yard I stand and look up at our American Flag, which still flies half-mast.  Over two months have passed and I cannot gather the courage to raise the flag to its fullest.  I am aware that a ‘Flag Code’ exists, which requires direction from the President of the United States or Congress.  This does not seem to be enough to give me the energy to raise it up and move on.  We will forever miss our 6 heroes and 20 angels.  Maybe we need our own flag, a Sandy Hook Elementary School Flag.  A flag that flies at half-mast forever on behalf of our lost ones, whom we will never forget.  The Sandy Hook Elementary School Flag would always represent Charlotte, Catherine, Caroline, Grace, Jessica, Olivia, Madeleine, James, Dylan, Avielle, Jack, Daniel, Josephine, Ana, Chase, Jesse, Emilie, Noah, Ben, Allison, Lauren, Mary, Rachel, Anne, Victoria, and Dawn.

We will continue to choose love, but we will always fly at half-mast in memory of our 26.