Ten Years to the Day

For all of you oh-so-cool kids still taking advantage of the "4-20" hysteria, here's something to process with those remaining few brain cells:

Exactly 10 years ago, 2 boys armed themselves with an arsenal of weapons and changed the lives of every student, teacher, parent, friend, brother, and sister at a high school in Columbine, Colorado. Twelve students and one teacher lost their lives at the merciless hands of unstable, mistreated, and vengeful cohorts. Twenty-three others are lucky to be alive after the shots they took, and countless others will never be able to forget the horrors they faced today.

Now, in a day when childlike innocents seems like an oxymoron, we find ourselves no further from these savage situations. A school hallway is not just a social hub for young minds, it's a walk of shame, an overexposure, and a friendless tunnel of ridicule for some. Bullying is real, and not every child is strong enough to handle such premature abuse on their own. If it goes to far, the results can be the massacre that occurred in Colorado, or the fatality that darkened hearts in Dekalb, Georgia today.

Eleven years old is not even old enough to experience the best parts of life, but when you are daily put down, picked on, and beaten physically and emotionally, I'm sure it's hard to see into a promising future. As the sister of someone who was once bullied, I have no tolerance for anyone of any age abusing their self-proclaimed power over someone else. Thankfully, my family's situation came to a head and was exposed before anything tragic happened, but years of damage had already been done.

The poor little boy in today's story did not find the help he needed in time and many are feeling a terrible sorrow tonight. My heart goes out to the family and friends of Jaheem and to the families of Columbine victims. It hurts me to know that so many lives could be taken for reasons so petty and minds so disturbed. May God bless us tonight and always, and give us the insight and wisdom to do what it right for every soul on the planet. We are all we are ever going to have, and life is far too short to ruin if for ourselves or anyone else.

Rest in Peace.