The June Gloom, which follows May Gray, is real here in Southern California. The weather can affect one’s mood, as you possibly already know. It feels like a physical manifestation of the sadness I feel about what has been happening in our country lately. The news has recently focused on several mass murders, an escaped convict who brutally killed three young boys and their grandfather, and countless individuals murdered by people they loved and supposed to protect them from harm, not do them harm. Yes, mothers and fathers are killing their kids. That makes me cry. Grandmothers are in on the act too. My friend Lynne and I were chatting the other day, and she told me about her friend’s beautiful 23-year-old son and his roommate murdered by his co-worker. Both of these young men had just finished grad school. Another friend posted a sad story on FB about her cousin who had just graduated high school and had earned a full-ride scholarship for college. He walked around in his red cap and shared his diploma with his neighborhood. The video depicts an ecstatic, proud accomplished young man who a little later was killed by either a stray bullet or an intended one. No one knows for sure.
My heart hurts so much for all the grieving family members. I had to stay off the news since the slaughter in Uvalde. As a retired producer of news, it is second nature for me to want to know what’s going on in the world. Not so much right now. As a society, we have to do better. We must elect men and women who care about our country and the people who live in it, not just how they can profit from their positions. We have to reinstate the ban on assault weapons. We should shut down the NRA. (I am not against guns or firearms ownership for hunting or even self-protection, but I am vehemently opposed to civilians being allowed to own military-grade weapons of any kind. No one can possess hand grenades, so why should assault rifles and bump stocks be okay?)
Keep the gloom from ruining your mood. Please enjoy your summer. Be safe, and God bless.
Shirley
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