Hello, friends. I imagine that many of you are like me: heavy-hearted this week after the shooting at Covenant School in Nashville. Every shooting like this is heart-breaking, but this one was especially so for me.
We used to live less than five minutes from the location of Covenant School in Nashville. All of my husband's family still lives in the Nashville area, and our nephew was one of the first five officers on the scene the day of the shooting. He was backing up the officer who took out the shooter. He later told his mom that he wasn't afraid as he ran up those stairs, because he knew God was with him. What heroes those officers are! But how tragic that officers keep getting called to situations like this.
But the emotions of this week, on top of PTSD I'm suffering from all the events of my fall and winter, have just about leveled me this week. So I haven't had a chance to visit many of the links from last week's Grace at Home party, but with Easter right around the corner, there are a few I want to share with you.
If you're planning an Easter dinner, you might want to check out this recipe for caramelized carrots from Kay from Cooking with K.
If you're like me, you might need some extra time and space to meditate and pray this coming Holy Week. I've created a printable resource I'd be delighted to give you: a collection of Easter hymns and scriptures called "Lead Me to Calvary." You can download a copy here.
Thank you to everyone who joined last week's party!
Here are the Grace at Home party, you can link up any post you've written that demonstrates how you're filling your life with truth, goodness, and beauty. For instance, I invite you to link posts about
- DIY projects
- decorating
- recipes
- hospitality
- homemaking tips
- parenting
- marriage
- faith
- self-care
- soul care
Whatever you do to make your home or sphere of influence a place of grace, I'd like to hear about it. Here's what I ask of you. Please include the permalink to your post, not to your site's home page. Please let people know that you've linked up. No more than three posts per person, please. If you link a post here, you re giving me permission to share your post, including a photo. And please visit one or more of the other participants—that's what really makes it a party!
As a teacher, my heart breaks more with each and every school shooting. Your nephew is a true hero, but how tragic that our broken world calls him to situations like this. Wishing peace and comfort to all.
ReplyDeleteYes, Niky! My thoughts exactly. Tragic, heartbreaking, senseless. God help us to do better.
DeleteI'm so thankful for officers like your nephew who run into danger to protect others. What a picture of Christ-like love. I wish they didn't have to so often. I think of the teachers, too, trying to keep their students safe. May God change the hearts of people who would do heinous things like shooting innocents.
ReplyDeleteI'm sorry for the heaviness of the week for you, Richella. I pray for God's grace and comfort and healing.
Yes, such a heavy week (well, actually year already) of gun violence. :( I'm thankful too for your nephew and his fellow officers who prevented even more deaths. I pray that God will move each of us to take action in whatever ways we can to decrease the likelihood of this happening again (and again and again).
ReplyDeleteMy heart is so heavy and this world is broken. Thank you to those police officer and your nephew who are all true heroes!
ReplyDeleteRichella,
ReplyDeleteI am so glad that God was with your family member...How traumatizing it must have been for him and I hope he will take advantage of the counseling that I am sure will be provided for the responding First responders...I am sure he saw things that can never be unseen...Sending prayers for him , your family , you and everyone involved BUT prayers can only do so much...VOTING to stop this needs to be the thing to do...
Thanks so much for hosting this wonderful party each and every week!! I really appreciate the time and effort that goes into it along with visiting all the links and choosing Features!!! Thank You!! I hope you are having a great week!!
Hugs,
Deb
Richella, it is heartbreaking to see these senseless shootings happen over and over. We have grandsons who are police officers and I can't help but think of them when things like this happen. But I'm so proud of what they and others like your nephew do day after day. But I can't even imagine the grief the families are experiencing right now and the trauma the other children at the school have had to endure. May God have mercy on our nation and people's hearts be turned back to Him. He is the only answer. And may those of us who know Him pray to that end.
ReplyDeleteRichella, please thank your nephew for his part in the takedown in the Nashville school. Those police officers showed exemplary action and bravery!
ReplyDeleteOh! It's a sad state of affairs all around in our world today. I am not sure how we got here but God bless your nephew. We need more like him. I can't even image for all those affected directly by these senseless tradgedies. Stay safe and thank you for hosting. XO- MaryJo
ReplyDeleteRichella, thank you for hosting. I so appreciate your nephew on duty when that terrible shooting took place. I appreciate his bravery and dedication. So senseless and sad.
ReplyDeleteWow, your nephew is such a hero! Such a horrible tragedy. My heart breaks for those families.
ReplyDeleteShelley
It is so heartbreaking. My hearts go out to all the families affected by this tragedy. It's nice to hear how great your nephew was and how brave. Thanks for hosting.
ReplyDeleteSuch a heartbreaking week for so many people, Richella! I'll definitely be adding my prayers to all the others for you, your family and your nephew. What a heart of fearless service! Thank you for hosting sweet friend and hang in there. This season of toiling and strife will one day be joyously abundant. Big hugs, CoCo
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