I know there’s evil in the world, but I don’t think I’ll ever understand why things like the shooting that took place in Connecticut happen. What prompts an individual to shoot his mother, other teachers, and innocent children?
This morning, I spent a couple of hours visiting the middle/high school where I taught until mid-January of this year. The chorus, dance, drama and ASL students put on a Christmas performance. When it was over, I hugged a lot of necks, both students and teachers, and left to do some shopping, thinking how happy the kids and their teachers were to have a few weeks off to spend with their family and friends.
When I arrived home, I turned on the TV to find the news report of the tragedy in Connecticut. Tears sprang to my eyes more than once as I imagined the horror those little ones experienced. I can’t even begin to fathom the sadness and grief all concerned will face for a long time to come. It’s horrible enough that something like this happened at all, but for it to be such a short time before Christmas makes it even worse.
Christmas is a time of love, peace, and celebration; a time to reflect on the birth of our Savior, and what he did on our behalf. I find comfort in the fact that those little ones are with Jesus, but grieve when I think of the pain their parents are dealing with. 
My prayer is that God’s Holy Spirit comforts and surrounds not only the family members who have lost a loved one, but the entire close-knit community. May healing and peace engulf them and carry them through the difficult days, months and years ahead.