And when you’re alone, there’s a very good chance
you’ll meet things that scare you right out of your pants.
There are some, down the road between hither and yon,
that can scare you so much you won’t want to go on.
But on you will go
though the weather be foul
On you will go
though your enemies prowl
though the Hakken-Kraks howl
Onward up many
a frightening creek,
though your arms may get sore
and your sneakers may leak.
On and on you will hike
and I know you’ll hike far
and face up to your problems
whatever they are.
~ Dr. Seuss
I am so shaken.
I cannot get myself to read the tributes to the little first graders in Newtown. I imagine how impossible it must have been for a parent, presumably the dad, to take pen to paper and jot down in a few sentences what their child meant to them, who he or she was, what they liked and who they wanted to become when they grew up.
How to sum up in a few sentences the warmth of a little hand that squeezes yours tightly when crossing a street? How to describe the pure joy they bring by just skipping alongside us or laughing at the silliest things? How to enumerate their achievements: an entire night in their own bed, a chapter book read start to finish, sitting at the table for the entire meal? How to explain their uniqueness, the way they touch your face, or won’t wear a particular pair of tights or need their food not to touch their other food? How do you describe your child in a few sentences? In a single photograph?
My heart breaks twenty times over for the beautiful children of Newtown, Connecticut.
xo, Rashmi
