I have never sent a letter to The Leader before, but wanted to share a short poem that I wrote reflecting my feelings about the terrible event in Newtown, Connecticut.
Perhaps it was the fact that I had just seen our beautiful young children perform a lovely Christmas production at Sunrise Elementary School where they sang, danced and smiled – reminding us again of the true spirit of the holidays.
All I could think about after I heard the terrible news from Connecticut was how blessed I was to be able to hug my daughter and my husband. And how if this had happened at our school, we would have lost so many precious smiles. I can’t imagine what this community must be feeling.
Sometimes our world does not make sense... and the only thing you can do is share a hug and remember how lucky we are to be able to hug our children and those we love every day.
I consider myself very lucky.
Here is my poem, entitled Angels Too Soon:
We will think of you dancing among the stars and chasing moonbeams in the cool winter sky.
We will dream of you leaping from cloud to cloud as the sunshine warms our faces in spring.
We will feel your arms around us each time a wave washes gently upon the summer shores.
And we will see your smile and hear your laughter as the colourful leaves tickle the trees in autumn.
You will be remembered.
You will be forever cherished.
You will always be in our prayers.
Angels too soon.
Andrea Widmann
No contact anymore but from behind a screen
I know a lot of us have broken hearts for these young children. My heart is just breaking to pieces. I have never felt such pain.
My question is why do we allow computer games people to make these harsh, violent games? Why can’t they make a game of ping pong, Pac Man, something simple? Why does it have to be guns, bombs, violence, blowing people up? Why are we giving these teenagers these games? What is it doing to them?
There are no more positive social activities nowadays. A neighbour’s daughter, 17 years old, said to me, “when I go to my friends house, all they do is play on there phones, iPads, and tablets. There is no contact with people anymore but from behind a screen.”
That is so true. Why can’t we bring back the simple life, like families having meals together, doing chores together, playing together?
Then you have the Internet, where people can look up how to make violent gadgets. The police have to get a grip on this stuff.
Those children should never have died. Our hearts go out to those families. I can’t even imagine what they’re going through. So very, very sad and close to Christmas.
Shelley Harder
Children have a right to feel safe in school
Everyone is completely shaken after the deadly shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary in Connecticut.
Absolutely no one has the right to barge into a school where hundreds of innocent children come to receive education. The only place next to home where children have the right to feel safe should be school.
I can relate to this because not too long ago my school was in lockdown mode for over an hour due to a threatening call to the administration.
I understand that being mentally ill to an extent can certainly be dangerous. But another aspect to look at in this case is firearms. I disapprove of the fact that in Connecticut the gun laws are so lenient.
According to the National Rifle Association’s website, no permit is needed to buy shotguns and rifles. Not just Connecticut, but here in our very own province of B.C., one can use self-defence as a legitimate reason for the use of deadly force.
Self-preservation is a troublesome right. It’s clear that everyone has the right to use physical force to defend them from physical attack. But on the other hand, how can we be so sure that those firearms are not being misused?
It just leads me to believe that firearms cost more lives than they save.
Navi Dosanjh, 16, Surrey
There is no safe place
I am very sorry to hear the very sad news of the children shot in school.
Gun violence is not just happening in America, it is also happening in Canada. There is no safe place – people are shooting in malls, parking lots, restaurants, etc.
To control all these things we must take some steps. There must be a police officer in all schools on duty with armed guns from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m.
The school should have a fence or gate that is locked after the school opens.
There should be a bell in all the classrooms and the office that can be pressed any time to call the police.
My sympathy to the parents who lost their kids. May God bless them and give them peace.
Sing Ram Velu