Remembering a reason why my kids got out of STEM alive 4 years ago and now get to graduate.
It doesn’t get any easier, in my experience. Just different. Managing the PTSD and trauma aftermath of school gun violence is an ongoing reality for me.
It’s all still there. Long after the initial wave of shock, news reports, and concerned callers wear off.
I’ve learned to share small glimpses of my own personal healing and mental health journey as a mom. Details about my kids will always be off-limits.
Perhaps someone else might find a small sense of peace with their own struggles through what I’m learning along the way.
It’s critically important we all learn how to process difficulties like this as they affect us… personally and collectively. Our mental health hinges on it.
Rather than be silent for fear of saying the wrong thing to someone that has been affected, perhaps consider this alternative instead.
It’s ok to say…
“I have no idea what to say. I’m holding space with you in support… sitting by your side.”
In my experience, it’s a gentle way to express compassion without being invasive or avoiding the elephant in the room.
My hope, and now my life’s work in the wellness space, is that we can all make an intentional decision to let these kinds of events refine us… not define us.
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