Thankful to have my daughter.

On December 14th, 2012, our 16-month-old
plays with her toys, oblivious to the tragedy
unfolding in Newtown, CT.

It kills me to know that my daughter will grow up in a world where school shootings are a common occurrence. It's even more upsetting to think that 20 babies had to die today in order for me to write this. How many more children are we going to let die in our schools, before something is done?

Do I have the answer? No. However today, as I watched the tragedy unfold on television in Newtown, Connecticut, I watched my 16-month-old play with her toys, completely oblivious (thankfully) as to what was happening. I thought about the future this world holds for my daughter, and I couldn't help myself but cry. I cried for the tiny victims, the parents, teachers, community, and even the suspect in this horrific shooting. I can't even to begin to imagine what the community of Newtown is going through. The thought of losing my daughter... I can't even go there. My heart breaks for every parent affected by today's nightmare. What kind of world are we leaving in, where we allow a person to enter our schools and murder 20 innocent children?

Today was also my mom's birthday. A day where usually we celebrate life, was saddened by tragedy. Today was one of those days that made me realize how lucky I am to have my family. Our daughter Linna has been the light of all of our lives since she was born on August 8th, 2011. I went into labor the day after my grandfather (my mom's dad) passed away. Linna came into all of our lives when we needed a piece of happiness the most. Tonight, my family got together for dinner, to not only celebrate my mom's birthday, but to celebrate LIFE and the blessing of family.

It's unfortunate that we all don't have a constant reminder of how precious life is. It's unfortunate that we only "squeeze our babies a little bit tighter" when something as awful as today's tragedy in Newton happens. I want to feel the way I felt today, every day. I want to realize every minute of every day, how lucky I am to have my daughter in my life. Every child is a blessing, and the true tragedy is that is takes the horrific murders of 20 babies to realize how blessed we all are to have our babies in our lives.

My mom on her birthday with our little Linna.

Yes, I held my daughter extra tight tonight, and yes, I am so thankful for the time I get to spend with my baby girl. I'm also praying for each and every parent who lost a child today. I'm praying that my daughter will grow up in a world where school shootings are a thing of the past, and something she doesn't have to fear. I hope my daughter will one day know the names of the victims of today's tragedy, and I hope she will one day be able to have a strong voice to make changes in honor of these tiny children.