I have no proper words to respond to the school shooting in Newtown, CT. So many beautiful tributes have been made to those that were lost. As a new parent, my heart is broken for those families who had a child that did not return home from school that day. I cannot fathom the pain they must be in as the reality of this settles into their lives.

I recently watched an interview with Elie Wiesel and Oprah Winfrey. Having lived through an unimaginable tragedy himself, where many children were killed as well, his reflection on the Holocaust sounded in my head as I watched the news coverage at Sandy Hook. When Oprah had asked Elie about the loss of his young sister (aged 7) and all the others at the concentration camps, he said:

"Why the children? My God, why the children? You know, that the million and a half children were killed. Straight from the train. Do you know what they have done to humanity? How many among them could have grown up to become scientists? Physicians. Poets. Scholars. Friends of humanity. Saviors of the world. What they have done to the world."

I could not agree more. The extra sadness felt when a young child is lost is felt most earnestly in their innocence and in a life not yet lived. What might those children have grown up to do?

My prayer is for peace, understanding, and strength to move forward for those families affected and for the survivors at Sandy Hook.