Lather, rinse, repeat.

The pattern is all too common.

School shooting happens.
We react with shock and horror.
We see the news footage.
We send #thoughtsandprayers.
We debate about the shooter's motives, his (and it is always a he) parents, his friends, was he bullied, was he mentally ill?
We hear the reports of 4chan and InfoWars, "false flag," "crisis actors", "hoax".
And always, always, always, there is the debate about gun control.
And nothing changes.
Until the next shooting.

Lather, rinse, repeat.

Max Lucado, pastor and writer, says in this article that "this evil will not last forever".  He means to be comforting and reassuring here, and he is right in that there will be a judgment and that no, evil will not last forever . . . but to be honest, that is not much comfort to the ten families who right now have to decide on a casket or an urn to bury their child in.  Nor is it much comfort to me, because while evil could end in the next 40 seconds, it could also take 40 years or 400 years to end.  In the meantime, I still have to pay the mortgage and put food on the table.

Lather, rinse, repeat.

I also despair of finding reliable sources to determine the truth or fiction about anything anymore.  I have been told that I need to "do my own research" which, on the face, is true, but too often, the words "do your own research" means either, "if you do, you'll agree with me; if you don't agree with me, you didn't do your research," or, "I don't have any proof for what I so confidently assert.  Don't confuse me with the facts."

Lather, rinse, repeat.

CNN states that, on average, there has been one school shooting a week so far in 2018.  That all depends on how you define "school shooting".  (For example, a shooting in Seaside, California happened when a gun was accidentally discharged during a safety demonstration and a student was injured.)  But even one is too many, and there has definitely been more than one this year so far.

Lather, rinse, repeat.

I had a social media meltdown yesterday after hearing of the shooting at Santa Fe High School.  It wasn't my first meltdown and it probably will not be my last.

It's been 19 years since Columbine, 21 years since Pearl, Mississippi, 20 years since Jonesboro, Arkansas . . . and NOTHING has changed.  NOTHING, except people are angrier.

All of our thoughts, prayers, marches, and advocacy has changed NOTHING.

Lather, rinse, repeat.

How many more people -- how many more children, parents, teachers, law enforcement personnel -- how many more people have to die before we DO SOMETHING???

Or will nothing be done, just like a FB friend expressed last night in despair?

We're three weeks away from the 50th anniversary of the death of Bobby Kennedy, who was also murdered with a gun.  His brother was murdered with a rifle.  In the TV coverage of Bobby Kennedy's murder, both Walter Cronkite and Howard K. Smith commented about the gun control bill that was in Congress at that point. 

What has changed in 50 years?

What has changed in 20 years?

Nothing.

Lather, rinse, repeat.

Just my .04, adjusted for inflation.

Mother's Day, twenty years apart

Twenty years ago on Mother's Day, I sat in a church balcony and cried. 

I wanted to be a mother, and I was having problems conceiving.  Earlier that month, I'd taken Clomid in an attempt to help me have a baby.  (One of the side effects was night sweats.)

About three weeks later, I took a pregnancy test and it came up positive.

This Mother's Day, I came to church and found a bouquet of flowers displayed in honor of members' mothers who'd died in the last year.  One of the names mentioned was, "Thelma Sergent, mother of Tina Seward." 

A church member came up to me and said that the first Mother's Day without your mother was always the hardest.  I appreciated her kindness. 

It's interesting how many emotions Mother's Day stirs up.  In the days leading up to Mother's Day, I've seen several reminders about how not everyone remembers their mother fondly.  About how many women want to be mothers but aren't.  About those mothers who have lost children. 

And then, there is the greeting card, gift, and flower industry, ready to shower you with guilt about what you should be doing for your mother on Mother's Day!  I believe Mother's Day is second only to Valentine's Day in terms of flowers delivered, and this week.com article says that in terms of money spent, Mother's Day is third after Christmas and Valentine's Day.

This Mother's Day, I told my husband that all I wanted was chocolate and the day off.  I bought my own chocolate and while I did make lunch for everyone (grilled cheese), I've spent the day relaxing. And my sister and I remembered our own mother.

Twenty years of Mother's Days have run the gamut from crying over what I didn't have to feeling the loss of what I don't have now.  It's part of the circle of life. 

Just my .04, adjusted for inflation.