J'Espere

It was difficult to hear at lunch, that there had been a shooting in Connecticut. A school shooting is never easy to hear about. I remember exactly where I was when Columbine occurred- sitting at my kitchen table, when the program I was watching was interuppted- I happened to be home sick that day. We talked about it for ages at school, so confused about how it had happened, what had made those boys march into a school and open fire, sometimes on people they didn't even know. We had counselors who came in to talk to us about what to look for in someone who was about to go crazy, that we were to report anyone who mentioned killing someone, or killing themselves. And this was a tiny private girls school. Then there was another school shooting, and another. People talked about an "epidemic", people questioned video games, parents, teachers, lack of support. We nodded our heads, agreeing with it all. But we can't really grasp the horror. A few weeks ago, we had a lock

which means it's time for caroling, warm drinks, and dealing with the crises of a family. Or, in our case, 2 families. Trying to balance out what we want for our Christmas, with the wants and needs of our families, isn't always easy. What's even harder about this year is the housing situation. Or lack thereof. Looking around my living room right now, there are boxes EVERYWHERE, half packed, mostly packed, empty, taped and packed, but there is nary a Christmas tree in sight. Just a few cards on the mantel. In case you're wondering, we LOVE CARDS, so keep 'em coming, y'all! How else am I going to see pictures of your beautiful faces? This past weekend I was really craving Clark Griswold in my home, but had the realization that all of my DVDs are packed up and in storage (like so much of our lives right now) and it wasn't happening. I have to say, Netflix, while I'm very happy you added Disney to your approved list, I was a little disappointed that your