{On The Events of Friday}

I was at a school on Friday.

For the first time in 6 years, I signed in at an office and walked the halls. I peeked through doors into classrooms full of kids.

And then I served 10 kindergarteners lunch.

They were cheerful and merry- their hearts were full of the joy that comes when it's almost Christmas and you're 5.

I saw Jesus in them.

It was several hours later before I got home, serving lunch to 20+ other students and teachers and then studying for a midterm at a friend's. Just before dinner, I logged onto the computer and kept seeing glimpses of something that happened in CT.

It puzzled me, but not enough to find out what happened. I finally clicked a link and came across a news article that notified me of the horrific truth- 27 dead. 20 children between the ages of 6 and 7. 6 women. and then he killed himself.

The stories filled our house over the next 2 days as we all tried to comprehend what we were reading and watching. The teachers who threw themselves in front of their students and died. The families never got to thank them.

The teacher who got her class to the closet and managed to barricade them in- and kept them quiet- for over an hour.

I look at the faces of those who died and my heart hurts for each of their families, who- as my mom put it- have unwrapped presents with now-dead names under the tree.

A co-op teacher of mine encouraged us to pick a name or two and commit to praying for those families for a year. I've picked Emilie Parker, because her picture reminds me so much of my girlies.

Will you pick a family to pray for? These are not just names on a list; these are people. These are living, breathing, hurting people. They need your prayers.

Will you give them?