When It Hits Close to Home

We live in Broomfield, Colorado. It’s a small city about fifteen miles outside of Boulder. Both towns are relatively quiet, filled with families, professionals, and college students. While crime is not unheard of, it’s rare to hear of significant happenings.

Until yesterday.

As has become a common American story, our community was rocked by a senseless shooting. For reasons we don’t yet (and may never) know, a man walked into a grocery store and took ten lives. That man shot and killed ten people who were just living their lives, doing their jobs, shopping for groceries.

While I am a step removed from the victims, this shooting felt different. It was closer to home than ever before. My children are old enough to see the news, to ask questions—to feel.

My older son came downstairs as I was watching the news today, and I couldn’t turn it off fast enough. “There are ten people dead?” he said.

All I could do was reply yes. I was unable to say anything else or try to explain.

When I asked him later if he had questions, he was struggling to understand. For most of them, all I could tell him was that I didn’t know. I don’t know why, how, WHY? something like this happens. Who is the person who committed this crime? Why didn’t he just rob the store? The questions are simple when you are six. All I know for sure is that ten families went to bed last night, one person smaller.

We struggle for words, and we struggle with emotions. We don’t have any answers except tears and anger, sorrow. And our children are there with us, trying to process the unthinkable—the loss of life. How one gets to that place and point?

In the absence of reason, we find love and meaning. We find our “Boulder Strong”. We find love and community. We work to pull together and help one another to cope. To support those who’ve lost loved ones. We will rebuild.

But we shouldn’t have to.

Rest in Peace:

*For information on how to talk to your child about mass shootings, consider reading these articles:

• How to talk to children about shootings: an age by age guide
• Talk to your child about school shootings