Last night as I made my daughters their favorite heart shaped rainbow pizzas and ate donuts, I loved our Valentine’s Day celebration. From dad’s special treats to surprise chocolates, we savored every moment of our family party, but my heart went out towards families who never would have that again. Unfortunately, the school violence on the news was in the back of my mind, reminding me that not all families were as lucky as I was to be sitting down together to enjoy a meal.

Loving Our Valentine’s Day Celebration

Having a wonderful and festive celebration was bittersweet. As incredible as it was to enjoy every moment of my girls being so young and wanting to spend Valentine’s Day with their parents, my mind raced with thoughts of their future, how I’ll protect them, and of how I’ll make sure they’re safe in school.

I usually write about happier topics, but it’s hard not to worry when our world is faced with such serious challenges that affect our children. It seems like everyday there’s something new. Last night I posted, “Donut worry, be happy” on Instagram for Valentine’s Day, but today I’m filled with sadness over the families who couldn’t hug their children at the end of the day. Worrying won’t help, but finding a community of parents who care can.

My children are too young to know what’s going on, and they haven’t heard the news. I hope that by the time they are more aware, my generation of parents can have solutions for them. They deserve such a better world.

Chocolates and heart shaped pizzas simply cannot express how much I appreciate my children today. They won’t understand why, but today I’ll hug them a little closer, and teach them to be kinder, and hope that all the love our family has for each other can spread to others too. If our children learn to love others, maybe other children will be kinder, and the world can have more understanding for one another. Compassion starts at home.

Interested in helping your community? You might also want to read about the DonorsChoose giveaway you can enter to help support a classroom in need.

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