Unopened presents.

Tears are shed today for unopened presents under the tree. These sweet gifts represent lives that will not be fully lived. They were bought for little ones, too young to know that Santa isn't real. These young lives, like the presents under the tree, will never know their purpose on this earth.

Parents will sadly put these treasures away as the Christmas season passes, not really knowing what to do. Their broken hearts will never fully mend. A part of their own heart died today. Lives forever changed. How will they go on? Only God knows...

Tragedies befall us without warning. Aftershock is painful. Sometime it never goes away. Our greatest blessings are taken away, & we are left with empty hearts that seem beyond repair. The crime was senseless, absolutely so unnecessary. Innocent little souls taken up to Heaven long before their time.

Our greatest fears become our realities. How do we cope? Knowing our little ones are safe in Heaven is our only hope, but still... we must grieve. Our grief will know no bounds. We will suffer more than we knew possible. Our broken hearts will hurt for years to come. We will cry tears even when our eyes are dry.

There is no understanding because there is no answer. Today, people were robbed of  lives that can never be replaced. They will always wonder how their babies suffered, what unbearable fear went through their little minds. Was someone there to comfort them, or were they just scared & so alone?

They never got to say good bye. They weren't even allowed to hold their little ones as their spirits left their  bodies & ascended into Heaven. Left with empty arms, unopened presents, unanswered questions, unconsolable grief, hearts that cannot be repaired, they wish they could awaken from this heinous nightmare.

God, we pray... Please comfort these hurting hearts. Let them know your presence. Help them know this life is only temporary, & one day, they will be reunited. In the meantime, you will hold these precious little souls safely in your arms until their journeys bring them back together. One day... there will be no more tears & no more suffering. That's a promise.