It’s the school, Mom

Your daughter is safe at school; it’s recess and she is playing tag with her friends — and then she’s dead. No more daughter, no more kisses good night, no more Christmas presents. It’s done, over, no more. When you can gather some thoughts you ask yourself why. How could this happen; why would somebody do this; what does it accomplish? Why my child?

There is really nothing to say; nothing will make it better. An 18-year-old has killed your daughter. There is no good answer, there is no good explanation. Our species is known for random killing, killing for hate, killing for religion, killing for territory, killing to eat, killing because it’s fun. We will search for a cause, for a reason and we will not find it. But It had been thought of and dwelt on by this 18-year-old for a time. “I’m going to get some guns and I’m going to go to the grade school, and I’m going to kill as many kids as I can before they kill me. I will do something, I will accomplish something in my life, and I will be remembered. I am not going to work in the factory until I’m old; I’m not going to be a checkout person at Walmart or the grocery store; I’m not going to spend my life being told what I can and can not do–I am going to do something that makes a difference; that allows me to be SOMEBODY!”

There you have it; that is why you no longer have a daughter — now you simply have a void where your daughter used to be. What do you do now? Is there anything you can do? No, there is nothing you can do to make it better. The only question left is, will you survive, will you be able to get up in the morning to make coffee and go to work like every other day? And the answer to that is yes, you will make your coffee, get in your car, and go to work. There is nothing else for you.

Richard E. H. Phelps II

Mingo