I wasn’t even going to post about it but it’s been haunting my dreams every night since it happened.  The Westroads mall shooting happened in my hometown.  This is a mall I’ve shopped at hundreds of times…I’ve stood at the customer service counter to have gifts wrapped the same counter where innocent people were murdered by a sick teenager who doesn’t even deserve to have his presense on this earth acknowledged. 

I cannot begin to comprehend the grief that the families of the vicitims, the first responders, and the shoppers who were present that day must be feeling.  I thank God that I decided to spend the day with my mom instead of going to that very mall as I had planned. Though my shopping wouldn’t have taken me to that department store this week I wouldn’t have wanted to be any closer than I was to the tragedy. 

When you hear about a shooting on the news that took place in a residence or in a back alley somewhere it doesn’t affect you in the same way that a shooting at a familiar place does.  I can so clearly picture where the grandparents, parents, siblings, children, and spouses of so many died.  Columbine took place when I was in high school and I remember it being so terrifying and shocking becuase it was real, it could have been my school.  9/11 is my birthday the events of that day were devastating to me even without a loss of life in my family. 

I keep asking myself what kind of people raise a kid like that? What’s gone so wrong with our culture that each murder doesn’t affect us the way a shooting like the one at Westroads affected me?  How could that happen here, in our city? This is the place I am raising my child.

One random act of violence can change the world forever.  So how do we keep these things from happening again?  Beefing up security until we live in a police state isn’t that answer.  We have to affect the root of the problem that allows children like this one to fester until they explode. 

It makes me absolutely sick as I sit here watching the local news seeing the face of the victims families, hearing the the shots on the 911 calls.  It’s like a tidal wave of grief and horror that is ripping through our town.  But I am so proud of Omaha, as is our midwest tradition, we have come together.  I find myself wanting to propel that togetherness, that support, that love into our future so we never have to deal with this kind of tragedy again. 

For my part I can only raise my children well, help those around me and commit random acts of kindness everyday.  This holiday when I shop at that very mall again I’ll be wishing I could give those families their most precious gifts back.  It is my hope that anyone who reads this blog as a gift to families that lost loved ones, will commit 8 random acts of kindness this holiday season.