Thoughts Throughout the Weekend

Either life is a bit too busy or the mind is a little to old when one must make a list of all the things needed to be done. We bought my niece and her husband some luxurious bath sheets (very large towels) but while I was refolding them for wrapping, I found a major flaw in one. So, that needs to be exchanged, mom has an eye doctor appointment, I forgot three things at Trader Joe's so I am going to swing by before going to mom's and I need to buy five pounds of the fantastic chocolates for the housekeepers and William. Lots to do today. Where is that list?

I do want to comment about the school tragedy. It is so hard to get my mind wrapped around someone wanting to hurt helpless, innocent children. A powerless, angry, sick person. The death of a child at any age must be the worst thing for a parent to ever feel. It happened at a school where children should feel safe.

The school where I got my lung disease was filled with children from many families who were very rich and famous. World famous names were listed in the roster. Security was a concern. The site was on 33 acres and there was no staffed front gate, still isn't. The gate must be opened by a key to get onto the property after hours or on the weekends but it is left opened during the day.

While working there, I worried that a disgruntled employee might want to do harm to one of the bosses children, someone may want to kidnap a famous person's child or some nut might come onto the property to do harm. We were all trained to call the front desk if we saw something odd. When I first went to work there, the teacher I worked with had an evacuation plan to take the children into the woods near her classroom. After a scare, I spoke with the site manager. She said that even if they had security cameras everywhere, manned the front gate and placed barbed wire surrounding the property, if someone wanted to get onto the property, they would find a way. Security measures are only a  determent. Do we want to have the schools feel like prisons?

I thought about all of these conversations this weekend. The solution? Train the staff to be aware, create a determent, have an evacuation plan and pray.