Yes, we’ve all said it after a tiring or stressful week. This week however in Nashville like many cities before us the phrase “what a week” has a whole new perspective. Honestly, not a great new perspective.
Starting the week with innocent children and adults gunned down in a space where they should be safe to learn and grow is just very hard. I don’t want to go down the political trail with this, no just thinking for a moment about what was once again lost. 
The innocent lives lost too soon. The loss of the fact they didn’t even get a shot to chase their dreams, find their true selves and experience all the great wonders of life. The loss of the fact we don’t know what these kids could have grown up to be. What they might have achieved or contributed to society. The loss once again of reason.
Loss of reason? Yes, given the fact that you can look at a list of school shootings and you have to scroll, scroll, scroll and scroll to reach the bottom of the list. All those lives lost, for what reason?
Yes some will shout it’s about mental health, others is it about guns. Frankly both are true. We’ve seen a lot of laws coming across the senates and houses of a lot of different states and even federal that speak of the effort to “protect our kids” from this or that. Not a whole lot of discussion from those same senates and houses about how to protect our kids from dying in school.
Call me crazy but shouldn’t that be priority #1? The stats show it doesn’t matter if it’s in a liberal state or a conservative state, schools are still being attacked. My logical brain knows it is because the politicians from either side of the aisle don’t have a financial benefit to fix it. If we are all honest we know they have been bought and paid for by a countless number of lobbyists that we can’t outdo. It is the overwhelmingly sad fact about government in this country.
So maybe the solution isn’t with those fat cats but with our local officials who might still care and can help with our schools directly. It’s time to think outside of the box in my opinion because our kids deserve a solution. So what is the solution, not sure there is just one so maybe it is a combination of many.
I’ve seen stories in the past of groups of Dads gathering at schools every day to help mentor kids and what a success the programs have seen. Maybe that is one part of the solution. I’ve seen numerous outlets talking about veterans willing, able and ready to watch over schools, watch over the kids, trained to deal with a violent attempt. Maybe that’s another part of the solution. Either way it shows that people, regular people are ready and willing to spend time to help keep our kids safe. I think if the federal and state government isn’t willing to even try it’s a way for us locally to help keep our kids safe.
So yeah, you can say “what a week” and it has been so sad, angering, frustrating…all the emotions. We can however take that “what a week” and turn it positive by taking control of the situation best we can. Will our efforts solve everything probably not but it’s action. It’s steps forward to protect our most valued asset in this country the kids. So maybe we take some of the energy we are using to yell at the politicians (I know they deserve it) and use it to reach out to these existing Dad groups to find out how they did it. Find out how can you implement it in your local school. Reach out to some of these veteran’s groups offering to watch the schools and find out what it could look like.
Do the research so you can take it to your local school officials with the who, what, where and how spelled out so they don’t have to find out the answers. Fill in the gaps that are needed and make it easy for a school principal, board member or official to say yes. Be the light for your local kids and community and maybe it will shine bright enough for those federal and state fat cats to join in and move for the bigger picture legislation that will keep these kids safe.
In the mean time I will remind you to be you and show the world how bright you shine!
Much Love~
JMAXX