Disquieting thought

The other night, as I was winding down, my daughter sent a picture of my grandson as he was about to meet his new third-grade teacher for the first time. He was standing in front of their house dressed in his new tennis shoes, new shirt and pants. His hair expertly combed by his mother, he stood tall and proud with a huge smile on his tender face. I could see he was excited to meet her. A little over an hour later, my phone lit up with a picture of his new teacher on a flyer describing her hopes for the new school year.

What parent or grandparent wouldn’t swell with pride and happiness for their child?

At 4:19 a.m. I woke up, as many of us do in the middle of the night, and as I lay there not really thinking about anything in particular, a thought and vision shook me fully awake. All I could see in my mind and think about was: What if my grandson will become another innocent child torn by bullets in his classroom with his friends and teacher this year? That picture of him about to meet his teacher would haunt me for the rest of my life. It is the same picture you see when you study any of these mass child killings we have endured.

Could any of us, seeing that, ever sleep well again?

PHIL MARIAGE Hot Springs