Terrorism.  I am not dismissing international terrorism.  How could I?  The heaviness of it.  The loss of life.  The injustice.  The deep sense of fear it instill in most of us.  The anger.  The sadness. The feeling of helplessness.

However, in the last week the alerts on my phone, the news, the regular shows being disrupted, and the radio have been dominated by terrorism.  Domestic terrorism.  In our own backyards.  Committed by our neighbors.  And in my mind, they create all the above emotions.  Perhaps tenfold as we try to wrap our heads around what is going on in our country.  That is if we have not become numb to it or  accepting these happenings as the norm. Can you actually name all the mass shootings that have happened in the past year?  I can’t but there was a time that I could.  A time that I miss.  That I long for.  A time that I surely would have held my wife and kids tighter but not as tight as I want to hold them right now.  It has gotten out of control.

It sounds cheap to say, my thoughts and prayers are with the families affected in just the last week by the two shootings….and all of these tradgedies.  But they are.  As I write this and break a major rule I have for myself and my family…being present…I am trying to concentrate while I listen two my two beautiful sons “be brothers”.  I would not normally do this (step into my den during family time) but I refuse to render myself or you helpless, because I have to protect them in anyway I can.We are not helpless as much as it might seem we are.  We do not have to put our energy into blaming the politicians, the system, TV or whatever else we try to blame these tragic happenings on.  And, we may never know why or how to gain control of the decline of the “norm”.  For those of you that live in Baltimore, I said to my wife last week, there are over 320 people dead in our city by another form of terrorism.  If we lose sight of our own backyard it will only get worse.  I could go on a rant here as I am sure any of you could.  I won’t.  Emotions too high.  I will simply go back to what I said above and ask that you join me in “protecting” my loved ones and yours in ways that we know we can.

I can only assume that the people committing these horrific acts feel unloved.  Show the next person you encounter inside and outside of your home love.

I can only assume these people lack a sense of purpose.  Work on finding your own purpose.

I can only assume that these people do not feel valued.  Let someone know tonight that they are valued.

I can only assume that these people are more afraid of living than dying.  Embrace someone and let them know life is worth living.

I can only assume that these people have experienced tragedy in some way.  Be empathetic and give someone the allowance to turn their tragedy into internal growth.

I could assume a lot more…a lot that has been addressed in past posts.

Point is we are not helpless.  The person you help, embrace, love or simply smile at today and tomorrow could be a future a “terrorist” that you help give purpose to.  And thus save lives including theirs. Think I am being extreme.  I don’t.  We have to start somewhere.  Remember the starfish story.  We are in fact not helpless.

Spend some time reading back on some of my blog posts.  Things have to change.  We are no longer able to keep up with all the tragedy but we can manage how we treat one another and slowly but surely have an impact.  It doesn’t’ take money.  It doesn’t require a protest.  It requires us going back to giving each other a the basic human needs of love, acceptance, and empathy.

Fact is, my wife has been on me to put a blog post out.  She said if she was my average reader she would “drop me” because of the infrequency of my blogs.  I feel bad about that.  I started a blog today as a follow up to my last blog but didn’t complete it.   Then Came home to the news.  I simply had to pause.  I will get the unfinished blog out by week’s end.

In the meantime, YOU, WE are not helpless.

I know you join me in sending our love and prayers to all the victims and their loved ones.  We are in a time of unrest.  Let us not rest in taking accountability in our part in change.

I am sorry for typos or improper grammar on this one…no proofread and tow angel’s, well there including me wife, Angel, enjoying a typical Capshaw crazy hour.

Stay True,

Ted