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Kathryn Mayer • Writing Out Loud

I write stuff down. writer • humorist • activist

First Day Jitters

August 28, 2013 by Kate Mayer 9 Comments

First day of school is different in Newtown CT

Yesterday was the first day of school, and I so remember last year, when I teased my teenagers and mockingly made a video of them heading off to that first milestone day. The most wonderful day of the year for so many working parents!

This year is different.

Social media is clogged with first day smiles, backpacks, new sneakers, and so many little faces waving as the school bus pulls away.

It must be absolute torture for all the families with no more firsts for their little boy or girl.

And it must be horrific for our Newtown teachers and staff to welcome the survivors with smiles and endless optimism: the siblings, classmates, friends, teammates, neighbors and colleagues to the 2013-2014 school year: a brand new year, filled with hope, opportunity and excitement.

And fear.

Because while many of you have forgotten what it was like on December 14th, we continue to live in the aftermath every day.

I don’t blame you for forgetting; I too forgot Columbine, Virginia Tech, Chardon. I didn’t know anybody who lived there. I barely gave Fort Dix, Oak Creek, even Aurora a second, sad thought once the news direction changed, and my life got busy.

I never even paid attention to smaller shootings, because to be honest, neither did the rest of America. (Except for the surviving families and friends: they’ll never forget.) I guess because it’s been deemed acceptable in our gun-loving culture to kill one or two kids or adults in an at-risk home, neighborhood, or “domestic” situation. But gunning down a classroom or movie theater or mosque makes the news. For a while.

Decatur, Georgia.

But we can’t change the station here in Newtown. So many of us here in town and across the country Promise to doing whatever we can to keep Sandy Hook in the thoughts, prayers and actions of America, so that perhaps, with time and dedication, there won’t be another.

I hope you will do so as well. Please remember and share Newtown with your circle at the bus stop, at the water cooler, on the sidelines, on social media. Do something small. Do anything at all. You will be surprised at the results.

*Please commit to doing any action possible to make a positive change where you live, so our story doesn’t become your story. Join a group in your community. Send an email. Be a friend. Find a cause. Share on Facebook. Hold a sign. Make a difference.


What to Say and How to Say It
A Parade Hugs Newtown

Comments

  1. Gina says

    August 28, 2013 at 7:41 pm

    Seems like we had the summer off, but the school year brings all the feelings back.I hope people heed your advice and can avert another tragedy.

    Reply
    • Kathy (p/t writer, f/t mom) says

      August 29, 2013 at 7:10 pm

      We are all doing what we can, when we can. Thank you Gina for all you do!

      Reply
  2. Robin K says

    August 28, 2013 at 10:27 pm

    *Will do.

    Will not forget.

    xo

    Reply
    • Kathy (p/t writer, f/t mom) says

      August 29, 2013 at 7:11 pm

      Thanks for being such a strong ambassador!

      Reply
  3. Beverly Diehl says

    August 29, 2013 at 3:33 pm

    Sending love and best wishes to you and everyone there.

    Reply
    • Kathy (p/t writer, f/t mom) says

      August 29, 2013 at 7:12 pm

      Thanks so much for sharing w google+verse, and your circles of friends. Making the connections will create a better world for all of us! Thanks so much for sharing Newtown!

      Reply
  4. Andrea says

    August 30, 2013 at 12:11 am

    Have not forgotten your community…(hugs)

    Reply
    • Kathy (p/t writer, f/t mom) says

      August 30, 2013 at 6:55 pm

      Thanks Andrea, I know you haven’t! Please continue to share our story. The more connected we are, more people will be ignited and inspired to create change.

      Reply

Trackbacks

  1. Blocking dear old cousin eloise from a facebook feeding frenzy - Kathryn Mayer says:
    February 22, 2017 at 12:52 pm

    […] violence prevention, and the political nature of the addressing the issue that devastated our Newtown community, well, that proved too much for acceptable behavior. (And this was before the current […]

    Reply

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About Kathryn Mayer

Kathryn Mayer

An irreverent storyteller with a foul mouth and big heart, Kathryn Mayer (aka Kathy and/or Kate) is a writer, humorist, and activist writing out loud with humor and grace about little life moments with big ripples, including the space between parenting and aging parents, social issues, angsty reflections of midlife, and, sigh, gun humpers. Still. Sometimes a big deal, sometimes not Mayer is a national award-winning columnist, according to the National Society of Newspaper Columnists, and her essays have been recognized as Voice of the Year … Read More Here...

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