Deep alien grief

There is a profound sense of horror when our fellow man hurts another.

It can only be more unthinkable when the victim is unsuspecting and the crime bloody.

What about law abiding and completely innocent?

Surely then, the profundity is most extreme when the victim is a child.

What about several children?

Witness to trauma, the likes of which you or I can never fathom.
And then turned upon, themselves.

The horror and bloody scenes that have played out in the last few days in Australia have shocked and devastated millions.
I am one of them.
I cant make sense of it.

I am left, like so many of you wondering what the fuck is going on. And why.
I am not superstitious, but really, the gravity of recent events is beyond normal comprehension.

I am feeling so heavy of heart.
And confused.
So confused.

How can anyone hurt a child, ever, in any way? How could anyone hurt someone they don't even know? For no reason. Robbing children of a mother. Robbing babies of their lives.

There is a very definite loss of innocence when we experience these kinds of events.
These kinds of events?
Who am I kidding?
This doesn't happen.
This is exceptional and unthinkable.

Bloody massacres and mass stabbings?
Its a horrible, awful nightmare.
In real life.

It changes us and scars us and makes us different.
Harder.
More numb.

The injustice is just a withering weed and our bewilderment is only a puff of smoke.

No reaction can measure up to the brutal reality which is essentially someone else's actual reality.

Empathy is stretched to beyond limits and there can only be heads shaking and tears rolling.

No words that make any sense.

Just deep alien grief.
Grief that doesn't belong, and never should have been.

Dad gave a speech...



So, I'm just hearing a few whispers around town about something that happened today.

My dad gave a speech today.
He's a teacher, it wasn't like a spontaneous rant at the pub or anything.
He's the deputy head of a pretty big school where I live.

He's been at that school for a little over twenty years.
I didn't go to that school, but I get the idea that my dad is a pretty well-liked guy at the school.

Any way.... today he addressed the students on their last day of 2014.

And received a standing ovation.

I don't know if you know many teenagers, but I don't imagine that standing and applauding teachers is something that they do every day. Or ever.
That makes me really proud.

Point here is this, he had something to say to those young people which was supposed to inspire them. And from all reports it did.

I once met a guy that Dad taught some time ago, and he told me he remembered exactly what my Dad had said to him and his class on their last day of high school. THIRTY YEARS AGO.
And he said he followed his advice, which was to go out and see the world and grow through experience.

So, I guess what has really occurred to me is this.... words are powerful.
Really powerful.
They build people up and they can strip them down.

I'm not denying that it takes a certain kind of person to stand up in front of 1000 people and hit the nail on the head like Dad did today, but we have all had people cross our paths who have made a difference.

So, anyway. I'm proud of my Dad, for certain, but I am also happy for the students who have been inspired by his wisdom and acknowledgment that he also learns from them every day.

This ties in closely with what a lot of mums my age are going through at the moment. Uncertain of what lies ahead for them. Baby's off to school, out of date qualifications, lack of confidence, fresh starts, relaunching old careers or embarking on new dreams.

Dig deep and think of a time you were inspired.
Dream big.
Remember, someone believes in you.

xxxx