Let's Talk About Violence

In light of the horrific domestic terrorism that took place in Las Vegas yesterday, everything I had planned for the blog seems completely trivial and inappropriate. The act is being called one of the countries biggest mass shootings in history and I cannot begin to fathom all of the ways that the people affected (both directly and indirectly) are suffering. I'm so devastated for the injured and the families of those who lost their lives in last night's tragedy and my heart is so incredibly fatigued from waking up to terrible news so often recently. How is this where the human race is at? With all of our advanced knowledge and technology? Why are we not doing a better job of preventing this kind of senselessness?

While I know we must continue to trudge forward, today feels like a day for mourning and I'm not sure that I have it in me to proceed business-as-usual. If nothing else, I pray that this event has opened everyone's eyes and created a call to action. We must take a stand and vote for gun control. We must protect the lives of our loved ones. We must de-stigmatize mental health and self care. This cannot continue to happen. People like Stephen Paddock cannot continue to slip through the cracks, have access to dangerous weapons and then be billed in the media as a "country music lover who lived a quiet life before the massacre". We need to look terrorism in the face and call it by its name.

Though we may feel powerless today, there are ways in which we can help Las Vegas:

Call your reps and demand a stricter gun control policy. These types of atrocities will keep happening until policy changes.
Donate money to the Red Cross or organizations local to Las Vegas.
& If you're in the area, donate blood.

As always, I am here for conversation and eager to hear your thoughts. How can we move forward? How can I help? What do you think about everything happening in our country?