Peace

On Friday, while Josh was teaching one of his classes the kids kept pulling out their cell phones and staring at the screens.  There is a no tolerance cell phone policy (during class) at the school and Josh doesn't usually have much trouble with this issue, but Friday it was HORRIBLE!

Finally, he got really frustrated and scolded the kids asking why they were all being so rotten about this that day.  That's when he found out about the school shooting in Connecticut.  Having been teaching all morning, he hadn't heard one bit about it.

Of course, this incident really hit home for him as he is a teacher and he happens to adore his students.  The kids had loads of questions and concerns and the class ended up having an impromptu mini-discussion about what had happened.  Of course, they didn't know many details at the moment, but being a psychology class they talked about the event relative to some things they had learned in class.

One student timidly raised his hand and asked, "Mr. DeMoux, what would you do if someone was trying to get into our classroom to hurt us?"

Without blinking my husband said, "I would have to be dead before I would let anyone get near you."

And that is the truth.

I think it is the truth for most, if not all, of those that work in this capacity.  I think it is the truth for principals and office staff and custodians and anyone else who chooses to spend their day improving the lives of our children.

As much as my heart screams that I would want my husband to be safe, I know him well enough to know that when it comes between him and the people he loves he will choose them every time.  I have watched this happen time and time again in our lives (not with gunmen, but in other ways).  It is one of the things that I love about him, although there is a tinge of sadness in there too because I don't want him to be hurt.

I know if our family was in a movie theater or a mall or a stadium and someone came in with weapons I would scuttle our children to safety and my sweetheart would be headed wherever his help was needed whether it was assisting those who had been injured or tackling the person attempting to hurt people.

That's just who he is.  That's part of the reason that he does what he does.

Josh called home when he had a break in his classes that day because he just needed to hear the sound of our wild children playing after the shock of such tragic news.  There are no words for such sadness.  I ache for those left hurting, for those with loved ones who will never come home.  But I also rejoice in the heroic love of so many others who saved lives, calmed fears and comforted those who desperately need it.

There is no eloquent ending to such heart wrenching happenings.  But this week we squeeze our sweethearts just a bit longer than usual and pray that as God receives the innocent spirits of those who moved toward Him too soon He will also rain down peace and love and some measure of comfort on those left here trying to get through this disaster.

May the strength of our Savior and the blessing of his Atonement bless lives when no other relief can come.