You can listen to this week’s Devotional here
Author: Carol Young
As we remember our neighbors who died in the Table Mesa King Soopers tragedy three years ago on March 22, 2021, I reflect on what has changed since I began my journey in 2018 in Louisville, Kentucky, and my commitment to work for gun safety.
Shortly after the Parkland High School shootings on Valentine’s Day that year, I heard one of our high school students speak at a Sunday church service. She shared her feelings of fear, anger, and disbelief that – once again – students had been shot and killed in a place they thought was safe. This young woman had recently purchased a pair of brown shoes to wear to school – she described them as “neat, cool, and special”– and her thought that day was, “I will never be able to wear those shoes to school again because in our safety drills we must run – and I cannot run in those shoes. I’ll have to wear my sneakers every day to be ready for what could happen in my school.” I tried to see through her eyes. She was right. My heart broke. What were we teaching this generation?
Such a tragedy could happen in her school as it has happened in more than 190 schools since 2018 – more than 10 schools each month – and that’s just school shootings, not accidental shootings, suicides, or mass shootings in places other than school. Those add up to many more. Sadly, the numbers seem meaningless unless they affect us directly.
What has changed? Colorado has passed a number of measures to address this public health issue and the strides made are significant. But there’s more work to be done to keep our kids and grandkids, the young and the not-so young, safe both physically and emotionally.
Are we paying attention? Are we showing we care? Are we waiting for things to get better with just our thoughts and prayers? We are a peaceful people who want to find solutions and respect and work with responsible gun owners to help save human lives.
Please join us on Friday, March 22, 2024, 2:00pm-3:00pm, at the George Reynolds Library, for an Interfaith Vigil for the Remembrance and Healing of the Boulder Table Mesa King Soopers Tragedy. Visit the Soul Box Project which is on exhibit inside the library, followed by an outdoor vigil on the lawn of the library from 2:30pm-3:00pm. Please come and invite others to join us.
God of love, please awaken our hearts that we may work together to care for the well-being of all our siblings. Help us to gather with friends and non-friends to be the change we want to see in this world. Amen
