The small town in Connecticut where our hearts were broken in December is still hurting. But, even though our neighbors there exist (still, and probably forever) in the grips of such unspeakable grief, there is something going on there that will help bind the wounds, and it should be acknowledged.
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Bear ye one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ. -Galatians 6:2
After the tragedy, the world’s grief and its attempts to help and offer comfort poured over that town in a tidal wave of cards and toys and letters and money and hand-cut paper snowflakes. Our collective sorrow was evident in the abundance of tangible efforts to assuage the grief of the Newtown families. There are somewhere in the neighborhood of 175,000 letters and cards alone. Most were handwritten, tear-stained. Many were written by children.
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In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you. -1 Thessalonians 5:18
One Newtown woman, Yolie Moreno, has started a volunteer effort to send a hand-written Thank-You note to each person who sent a letter or card of condolence. Her efforts also include cataloging and preserving these precious letters, so that they are never lost. They sit now in boxes, in a Newtown municipal building. Many of the Sandy Hook families are still too raw to read them.
This work, this pause, to thank those who grieve with them and let them know their letter was both read and appreciated, is one of the best ways in which the town, and our country, can try to heal. Gratitude can begin to mend the wounds of the heart, and help re-build the broken spirit.
The Newtown Volunteer Task Force is without a budget, or any funding save that which is in their own pockets. They are buying their own stamps, and with so many heart-wrenching letters to read, and to answer, the price of stamps should be the last thing on their minds. If you would like to help, please send stamps to:
NVTF
153 South Main Street
Newtown CT 06470
