Tag Archives: Valentines Day

Lather, Rinse, Repeat

Another shooting.

More senseless deaths.

More Facebook warriors demanding justice. “More mental health awareness!” “More gun laws!” “Less gun laws! Second Amendment, by Gawd!” “Get God back in the schools!” “Get God out of schools!”

Lather, rinse, repeat.

We all get so desensitized to what is happening because it happens SO OFTEN. We are a country where a mass shooting headline on the news is just another mass shooting headline on the news. “Oh man, another school shooting. That’s so sad. Thoughts and prayers. Let’s see what’s on the game show network…”

Look at who we are. Look at what we’ve done.

And note that I say “we.” Not “you.” I’m including myself in this. I’m just as guilty.

I sat and argued on Facebook this morning. I think that no one – a person with mental health issues, a criminal background, or none of the above – should have access to automatic killing machines. I’m a big ole liberal. Guilty as charged. And if you are hugging your guns and spouting the 2nd amendment after something like this happens, I truly think you suck.

But after a few pointless comments here and there pointing all that out, I stopped.

It doesn’t work.

NOTHING CHANGES.

Instead, I changed gears.

I started reading about the victims.

As I started scrolling through the names that have been released so far, I, for once in my life, didn’t just skim them. I really read them. I read the names. I looked the pictures. And I saw their stories.

I saw beautiful, 15-year-old Alyssa Alhadeff. Her long dark hair reminded me of my long, dark-haired 15-year-old step-daughter Lauren.

I read about Nicholas Dworet. I saw that he was a swimmer and that his swimming had improved dramatically over the past few years. He even got a swimming scholarship and was headed to the University of Indianapolis after graduation. My thoughts immediately went to my 17-year-old step-son Riley. I thought about the awards ceremony we attended last year where he was chosen as the representative for the “Best of the Best” swimming candidate for our county.

Then I saw little Cara Loughran with her red hair and freckles. And suddenly I was looking at my own little redheaded, freckled 18-year-old daughter Kelly.

And then?

Then I looked at the 19-year-old perpetrator. 19-year-old Nikolas Cruz. A 19-year-old boy who will now be charged as a man who committed at least 17 murders. And as angry as I am at him…as absolutely furious as I am that this man took the lives of all those poor innocent people…I can’t help but see something else.

I have a 19-year-old son too.

And while my 19-year-old son Jeff is very mature and a great kid, he’s still just that. A kid. This was not a man that committed this act. This was a child.

A messed up child just grabbed an automatic killing machine and took out 17 people while we were sitting here wondering what our significant other was going to get us for Valentine’s Day. Or while we were sitting here moaning because we were single on Valentine’s Day. Or while we were sitting here groaning at all the lovey dovey couple stuff posted on social media and raising hell about this Hallmark holiday that is just a money racket.

While we were living our every day, mundane lives that we take for granted, hundreds of lives were just completely changed forever.

So.

What is the answer?

What will stop this?

I don’t know. I have theories, but what the hell do I know? What do you know? Yes, you, Facebook warrior. What do you know? What is the answer?

WHAT IS THE ANSWER?

Dear God, I don’t know.

But here’s something I do know. And that is that there are parents sitting somewhere today who don’t need the “what ifs.” They aren’t comparing these children to the ages of their children like I am. Why?

Because these were their children.

This isn’t a what if. This isn’t a it could have happened to us. This is the real deal for them. Their babies are gone.

THEY ARE GONE.

And we’re not doing a damn thing about it except fighting on Facebook.

We are a bunch of friggin morons.

Sorry, nothing Earth-shattering in this blog. No answers to be found here.

Just one mother who knows, without a shadow of a doubt, that I am the luckiest woman on the planet to be able to go home and hug my babies today after work.

And who also knows, without a shadow of a doubt, that this could have been my family on the news today.

And until each and every one of you out there, greedy NRA ass-kissing politicians included, realize that fact too, nothing is going to happen.

Nothing.

***

‘We can say, yes, we’re going to do all of these things…thoughts and prayers, but what we really need is action. PLEASE. This is the 18th [shooting] this year. That’s unacceptable. We’re children. You guys are the adults. You need to take some action and play a role. Work together, get over your politics and get something done.”
– David Hogg,
student survivor of the Margory Stoneman Douglas High School shooting
February 14, 2018

***

Text sent during a 2014 shooting at Florida State University

Posted by Melissa Edmondson. Categories: Freestyle Writings/Musings. Tags: Florida shooting, guns, high school, kids, murder, NRA, politics, school shooting, Valentines Day. Leave a comment

Feb. ’14

To My Valentine

“At the touch of love, everyone becomes a poet.”

– Plato

To My Valentine….

Valentine’s Day’s
the time they say
to show what they mean to you;
Chocolate bars,
sappy cards,
dinners just for two

Candlelight talks,
moonlit walks,
Sweet music to serenade
One night to show
that special glow
From the love you both have made

It sounds so nice
most don’t think twice
They throw their all into this day
And while I do understand
most couple’s plans
For us, it’s not quite this way

The lives we lead
are busy indeed
And are filled with much to do
With four kids between
(and most are teens!)
Little remains for me and you

With their needs galore;
clothes, concerts and more
Birthday presents around every bend
The wallet stays bare;
(surprised we even have hair!)
And before we know it, the money’s all spent

So we find other means
(not requiring much green)
To show the love that lies within
Those arms that you place
around my waist
Those sweet dimples in your grin

The hours you spend
shoveling snow with no end
So my little car can get out of the drive
The errands you run
when I’m coming undone
From the stress of these busy lives

Your sweet, gentle ways
through these hectic days
That keeps me from coming unglued
Every kiss that you place
upon my grateful face
Shows how much I am loved by you

I hope mere words are enough
to thank you for your love
For all the many loving things that you do,
Valentine’s Day and the rest
I am loved by the best –
Thank God for the gift that is you.

Posted by Melissa Edmondson. Categories: Poetic Musings. Tags: blog, inspirational, kids, love, motivation, motivational, parents, passion, poem, poetry, relationships, Valentines Day, writing. Leave a comment

Feb. ’14

V-Day Giveaway

“A bell is no bell ’til you ring it,
A song is no song ’til you sing it,
And love in your heart
Wasn’t put there to stay –
Love isn’t love
‘Til you give it away.”
~Oscar Hammerstein, Sound of Music, “You Are Sixteen (Reprise)”

Ahhhh. ‘Tis the season for romance, right? Chocolate hearts, teddy bears, lovey-dovey sweet nothings….

Blech.

I know, I know…I’m very happily in love and should be happy about Valentine’s Day, right? Well, I am happy that I’m in a relationship with such a wonderful, amazing man. Don’t get me wrong. But the idea that it should all be centered around one day? Eh. Pardon my French here, but I just think that’s a bunch of BS.

And besides, I haven’t always been deliriously happy on Valentine’s Day. As some of you may remember, this wasn’t the case for me last year. Richard and I had split up. (And, believe me, Richard just loooooves when I bring this up….). I wrote a blog (a year ago today actually) about how I had attempted to see Valentine’s Day in a different light that year. And it worked for a while. It really did. But then, a few days later, you’ll see the blog I wrote on the day after Valentine’s Day. (Aptly titled “The Day After Valentine’s Day…” Man, I was creative back in the old days…) I had psyched myself to get through that day, and then felt the sadness all over again once it was over.

So, again, yes, I am much much happier this year. I’m so grateful that Richard and I made it through the hurt and sadness and found our way back to each other. But regardless of my status this or any year, I still hate the thought of the turmoil that Valentine’s Day puts people through. I know many people who are recently single who are bracing themselves for the dreaded V-Day just as I had to do last year. And why is that? Isn’t every day hard enough on the brokenhearted as it is without having to rub their faces in it once a year? And if you’re not amongst the brokenhearted and are in a loving relationship now like I am, should you really need one particular day a year to remind you to be good to the one you love? And do you really need to be pressured into buying expensive gifts to prove said love?

Well, I certainly don’t think so.

So…with that rant out of the way…let’s get to the point of this particular blog. I decided that maybe I should do a Valentine’s Day give-away of the Chicken Soup for the Soul book that my story is in. While, yes, it is a book filled with happy love stories, it’s also a book filled with real love stories. And some of them, just like real life, don’t necessarily have such happy endings. The book is divided into subject headings and one of them is entitled “Let’s Forget this Ever Happened.” Another is called “It’s Not Me, It’s You” and contains a story called “Worst Date Ever.” Anyway, you catch my drift right? These stories are real. And I think it’s important for us all to remember that there are a variety of “statuses” out there on stupid stinky ole Valentine’s Day. If you’re not one of the ones in a happy relationship, don’t sweat it. When we’re in a place of sadness, it’s easy to get it into our head that we’re the only one feeling this way. That everyone out there has a partner and we’re the only one who is alone. Well, you’re not alone. Ever. And here’s how I want to show you that.

If you read this blog, I want you to comment below. (If you’re reading this on Facebook, you’re welcome to comment there too if you can’t figure out how to comment on the actual blog site). I want you to tell me what your relationship status is, and how you plan to ‘celebrate’ Valentine’s Day. And I want all the stories. From the good to the bad to the ugly. If you’re happily in love and plan the sweetest V-Day on the planet, go ahead and tell us about it. We’ll try not to gag. And if you’re miserable and hateful and spiteful and grumpy – I want to hear your thoughts too. Really.

Why am I doing this? I want people to read the variety of answers that I hope to get. I want people to see that in the answers to this question, there probably lies someone out there in the same position you’re in…as is always the case, no matter the circumstance. We are just never ever alone. Really. We’re not. Will my plan work? Eh, I don’t know. But I’m willing to bet that if people participate, it’s at least going to be entertaining to read, don’t ya think!? And keep in mind, I don’t want an essay or anything. Just one sentence will do. Whether it’s “I’m single and I plan to curl in a ball and cry into the wee hours of the morn,” or “I’m deliriously in love and plan to chronicle ever single moment of my dinner/dancing/smooching lovefest on Facebook for all the world to see,” we want to read them all. Well. Sort of. 😉

And, then, on the dreaded V-Day, I will put all of the commenters names in a hat (or bowl or scattered all the floor, whatever) and I will draw a name at random at 3:00 p.m. and will send the winner an autographed copy of Chicken Soup for the Soul: The Dating Game. Check back here on my blog for the winner’s name and instructions on how to claim your prize. If you’ve already purchased a book from me, enter anyway! You can give it as a gift, maybe even with a copy of this blog so they know why you’re giving it to them. Or, you may even opt to participate but not accept the prize and allow me to draw another name. Either way – you’re a winner. Right? Let’s spread the love, people. (And if I wasn’t a struggling, broke wannabe writer, I’d give you something better than a book, but hey – you can only give what ya got, right?…)