It doesn't matter that it's Christmastime.

To say the least, it's been a rough couple of days... I don't want to forget the tragedy at Newtown, CT. It just makes my heart so downtrodden. It seems like this season brings out the best & the worst in people. As I continue to read articles & see news coverage, I learn new things that take my breath away.

This evening I read a report about a man that met 6 kids at the end of his driveway. They told him they couldn't go back to school, their teacher was dead. I just cannot wrap my head around 6 & 7 year old children running past their slaughtered teacher, running for their lives. I cannot fathom the toll this will take on their young lives. What will the lasting effects be? How will this evil manifest itself in their lives?

Today I was at the mall. I thought a woman was finished with the cell phone man, & I asked a simple question. He & I began to banter back & forth about his phone cases. The woman who stood there smiling peacefully, turned to us & said she was leaving. The young man apologized saying he didn't realize she wasn't finished. I apologized for intruding on her purchase. She walked away in disgust. The damage was done.

I'm finding myself a bit more hesitant about life. After all, who knows when someone's rage will turn into a rampage? I don't have a crystal ball to foresee how my words & actions may effect another person. I try to be kind.  I'm finding myself causing grief without even knowing it. I hate that.

I realize there is no way for me to second-guess how a person will take what I say to them. I don't know where a perfect stranger is coming from or what he/she's been through today. I don't know what makes people react the way they do. But today... I have been taken aback. Not only by the disturbed young man that took 20 young lives but by others too.

There's so much in this world I cannot comprehend. I feel short sighted. People are hurtful on so many levels. Sometimes trouble comes your way, & you did nothing to bring it on. After all, most people do not seek out trouble. So... there you are, suddenly thrown in the thick of things, having to deal with life. No... you didn't ask for it. That doesn't matter. It's yours to behold, & dealing with it is your only viable option.

It doesn't matter that it's Christmastime. It doesn't matter that you meant no harm. It doesn't matter...