"...for christmas, I'm thankful..."

We've only had two school days since the school shootings in Newtown, Connecticut. It makes me sick to type those two "s" words in the same sentence. It makes me just as sick to think about what has happened.
Despite the tragedy, it was heart warming to welcome my students back to school yesterday and today even though they're too young to know about the recent events. For me, it was a reminder of how much trust their parents have to leave their precious, tiny children in my hands for a few hours each day.
There have been extra "goodbye" or "how was your day" hugs but for the most part, life seems the same in my class as usual, except for these few sweet stories...
Yesterday as one of my dads dropped off and later picked up his son like he does every Monday repeatedly told me, "Thank you for all you do."
This morning, one of my loving moms got down on her knees to give her daughter a hug and held on to her a few extra seconds. When Mom stood and her daughter confidently walked into the room, Mom's eyes filled with tears. It was so heard to watch, but so beautiful to see.
During circle time this morning, my smallest little girl with the cutest little speech delays you've ever heard said , "Ms. Richardson, for Christmas I'm thankful for you".
Later in the morning, one of my sweet little girls came up to me and said "I love you Ms. Richardson."
While kind words like this often come from preschoolers, it meant so much more hearing them today.

Broken Hearts in Newtown

It's been four days since the horrific shootings at Sandy Hook Elementary School and it still consumes my every thought and wakes me during the night. A million thoughts run through my head during all hours of the day and night...those poor children who lost their lives, how are the little survivors supposed to ever recover from this, oh how my heart breaks for the families who lost their child, those teachers are heroes, those children are braver than superheros, what would I do if this happened at my school, what do I do or say to my preschoolers if they ask about it, for crying out loud these are CHILDREN!
CHILDREN!
I've watched death happen before my own eyes and I've hit the rock bottom of grief. Both of which still linger in my heart and mind every day. Grief is the worst thing my heart has ever felt. It's something I never, ever want to experience again. EVER! Yet there are hundreds of innocent children in Newtown who are in the midst of it. My heart breaks for them.
My hope is that something like this never happens again in our schools.