Daddy's Little Girl

While driving around tonight, I heard the Mills Brothers sing Daddy's Little Girl on the radio. Apparently, because it has the word Christmas in it, it's considered a Christmas song. I'm trying to figure out how that resonates with the Easter Bunny reference; ultimately, I guess that's neither here nor there.


You're the end of the rainbow, the pot of gold,
You're daddy's little girl to have and to hold.
A precious gem is what you are,
You're mommy's bright and shining star.
You're the spirit of Christmas, our star on the tree,
You're the Easter Bunny to mommy and me;
You're sugar, you're spice, you're everything nice,
And you're daddy's little girl.


I know it's supposed to be a happy song, but it makes my heart ache...and not just because I only got three days with my little girl. I spent a significant portion of the day crying. Heaven welcomed too many angels today. Nearly two dozen families in Connecticut face futures that look black and empty tonight. Mothers and fathers have lost children who, when they first awoke this morning, they expected to tuck in and kiss goodnight tonight. Husbands and/or wives will go to bed alone. I know this darkness...and it breaks my heart that other people do, too, especially since this was no accident.

The following days, weeks, and months will be filled with arguments and rhetoric from the left and the right...none of which will bring these angels back. And, unfortunately, it probably won't prevent it from happening in the future. Policy and rhetoric are often of little use when pitted against evil.

As as nation, as a world, we're left with the question of why? The situation will be analyzed from thousands of angles; however, we may never truly know the heart and mind, and the darkness therein, of the young man who committed this atrocity. Our questions may never be answered.

Tonight I'm left wondering how can we, as people of faith, reach out to our communities to address the heart issues that are at the root of this type of evil?

Abba, I offer you my brokenness tonight. So much pain. So many tears. So many dreams and hopes brought to a violent end. It's too much for me to think about and handle on my own, on our own. I offer this to you, knowing you stand beside us. You weep with the broken hearted.