What is your reaction to the tragedy at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Connecticut? Share your experience with WXXI News. We are collecting brief comments, short essays, poems, and other expressions from our community. Please take a moment to let us know how you feel. Our news staff will share some of these responses online or contact you to discuss sharing them on air.
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Some of the responses we have received so far:
Nancy Berlove from Rochester talked about the personal steps she's taking in response to the tragedy. She wrote, "When I consider Newtown, I could dwell on the loss, the pain, the suffering and waste of lives, for that is surely present. Or, I could use this time of heightened awareness to remember the things we all share, and the incontrovertible need we have for each other. I could use the time to find compassion for those who are different from me."
Sue Jack from Rush asked, "How many more of these tragedies will we go through before someone stands up and addresses the issues of guns in the US society? We cannot accept the answer to this questions a "blowing in the wind." It must be answered by the US citizens, quickly and definitely!"
Roxanne Baker from Honeoye Falls says there is a need for parents to find opportunities to create closer bonds with their children. She said, "As an educator of 26 years, I think parents have become less comfortable simply being with their children. An easy solution is to choose books that pique your children's interests and read to them. The discussions generated from reading ease the tension and any discomfort as you have an outside entity on which to focus. I truly believe more love and intimacy within each and every household would stave 99% of people form ever feeling the level of hate showed recently in CT."