Heartfelt condolences to the families of those who lost loved ones in the Colorado shooting

I want to start by saying how very heartbroken I am for all the victims who were killed this past Friday at the shooting at a Colorado movie theater.  I send out my heartfelt condolences to the families who lost loved ones, and I think I can speak for all my readers by saying they do too.  I want to offer words of love and comfort for those who have loved ones who were hurt and are recovering.  

I want to tell the people who were in that theater that day that you are not alone.  Anyone who has ever been to the movies, anyone who loves going to the movies, is with you.  You have our thoughts and prayers too.  The horror that you experienced is a wound too.  We want to embrace you and be a shoulder to cry on, because it just as easily could have been us.

As movie lovers we have all experienced the excitement of going to a film on opening weekend.  The movies are a special place. They are a place where we feel so safe that we can make a fun escape from our daily lives.  We trust them enough to lose ourselves in a story, to fall in love with the characters.  On Friday that trust was violated.  That safety was shattered.  

The shooting that occurred is impossible to comprehend.  We search our souls to make sense of a senseless act and pray for understanding.  People thought at first that what was happening was some kind of special effect, a part of the film.  Reading about it in another state or even another country, it does seem more like a movie.  It somehow doesn’t seem real.  We don’t want it to be real, but it very much is.

And this makes me mad as hell too.  The monster who committed this heinous act reportedly ordered 6000 rounds of ammunition to be delivered to his work and home.  How could that not have set off a red flag somewhere?  It’s time for gun control.  I’ve never understood why automatic weapons are so readily available.  Why do ordinary citizens need them?  They make no sense.

I offer my heartfelt thoughts and prayers for all of those affected by the shooting.  I wish you strength, love, faith, and hope.  Many people around the world are thinking of you.

I plan to go see “The Dark Knight Rises” and I will post my review next week.

Information on how to help the families of the victims is available here.