By Sarah, a heartbroken mother
I can hardly breathe as I write this. My hands are trembling, and my heart feels like it’s been ripped out of my chest. The news from Minneapolis has left me utterly broken—two children gone, seventeen others wounded, many of them still fighting for their lives, after a shooter opened fire during Mass at Annunciation Catholic School.
I keep thinking of those parents who sent their children off that morning, trusting they’d be safe in a school, in a church no less, a place that should have been sacred. Instead, they got phone calls no parent should ever get, or they were forced to run to a reunification zone praying their child would come out alive. Some of them didn’t. I am sick to my stomach.
I imagine my own kids in that pew, bowing their heads in prayer, and the thought of bullets tearing through that peace—it makes me want to throw up. How many more of our babies need to die before something changes?
I’m tired of hearing that “nothing can be done.” That is a lie. Other countries don’t deal with this level of slaughter because they’ve made the decision to protect their children over protecting guns. Meanwhile, here in America, we keep burying our kids and sending “thoughts and prayers” as if that’s enough. It’s not enough. It hasn’t been enough for a long time.
The truth is this: our government has failed us. They have failed our children. They have failed our teachers. They have failed every parent who just wants to kiss their kid goodbye in the morning without wondering if it’s the last time.
We need better laws. We need stricter controls. We need to remove these weapons of war from our streets and our schools. Guns do not belong in the hands of people who can walk into a church and murder children. They do not belong in communities where parents are begging for peace. They do not belong in the equation of daily life for our kids.
I know people will argue “rights” and “freedom.” But what about the right of an 8-year-old to live? What about the freedom of a 10-year-old to grow up and chase their dreams? Where is their protection?
I am beyond tired of watching kids die while politicians offer condolences and nothing else. If they had to sit in that pew and watch those children bleed, if it were their babies, do you think we’d still be waiting for change?
To those parents grieving right now, I don’t know you, but I am grieving with you. I am holding my children tighter tonight, but I’m also holding anger in my heart—a righteous anger that says this cannot be allowed to happen again.
I beg every parent reading this: don’t let your pain turn to silence. Don’t let them sweep this under the rug. Write, march, demand, scream—whatever it takes. Because if we stay quiet, more of our babies will die, and I don’t know how much more of this our hearts can take.
I am devastated. I am furious. And I am determined. Because those two children deserved more than this country gave them.
—Sarah
Sarah, thank you for being brave enough to write this. I can’t stop thinking about the children, the parents, the teachers—everyone caught in that nightmare. Every day we delay gun reform is another day children are at risk. We must demand action. I hope your post reaches lawmakers and rattles them. My family is praying for the victims and the survivors.
I read your post, Sarah, and it left me shaking. This is not just about one school, one city, or one shooter—it’s about a country failing its children. I can’t believe how normalized this violence has become. We need stricter gun laws, mental health support, and a society that values children over arms. Thank you for putting into words the outrage and grief so many of us feel.
Sarah, as an educator, I feel this in my soul. I’ve spent my career protecting kids and guiding them, and to hear that children were gunned down in a place of worship is gut-wrenching. It breaks my heart to think of the fear their classmates and teachers are experiencing. We need real change—laws that prioritize children’s safety over weapons. I’m praying for these families and for strength to fight for a safer future.
Sarah, your words are raw, real, and exactly what everyone needs to hear right now. I’m a father, and reading your post made me tear up. It’s horrifying that innocent children were targeted while praying—this shouldn’t be happening. The toll of guns in our society is unbearable, and it feels like every day there’s another tragedy. We need action, not thoughts and prayers. I hope this post inspires others to speak out, contact their representatives, and push for meaningful reform. These kids deserve a world where they’re safe. Thank you for sharing your heart—it moved me deeply.
I know you ladies are hurt but you also have to face the fact that the PRESIDENT! is not doing much to help bring things together he is splitting people apart. We have been calling for change for a long time with things like this and no one has done anything. Its very sad they we live in a time like this.
This is not helping….
I agree John they fail to look and hold the main one accountable for what he does
Sarah, I can’t even begin to put into words how much your post hit me. As a mom, I feel every word in my bones. I keep imagining my own kids walking into that church that morning, and it makes me physically sick. We shouldn’t have to live in a world where sending our children to school or church is a gamble with their lives. The government MUST do more—stronger laws, stricter gun control, anything to protect our babies. I’m standing with you in prayer, and I hope every parent reading this feels that fire in their heart to demand change. Thank you for speaking what we all feel but are often too scared to say.