The 27th Victim of Sandy Hook

There is something so sad about Nancy Lanza. By all accounts she was a delightful, engaged woman. 

We can only speculate about a lot of things. We dont know why her marriage fell apart. We dont know how hard it was caring for a son with mental illness, who you love dearly. We dont know how afraid she was living alone. We dont know if she got any family support. Did she get any community, school or religious support?

It is so hard being a single person in America. It is especially hard being a single woman. A single mom told how, on a winter night, she locked herself out of her car, in a not very safe parking lot. Who to call? Anyone there to jump in a car and bring the extra key?

The social invitations, just when most needed, dry up. Many married women are afraid to keep a newly single (widowed or divorced) woman in their group of couples/friends... for fear that they may lose their husband.

Besides the difficulties of daily living alone... the loneliness. The wanting to share the stories of the day with someone. Wanting to ask for advice on what to do. Wanting a warm body to snuggle with on a cold night. Wanting to feel safe. Yes, wanting to make love... wanting the closeness.

No matter how remarkable and extraordinary she is, it is extremely hard for a woman to teach a boy how to become a man, especially a kind and empathetic man who respects women.

We need to remember that there were more than 26 victims at Sandy Hook, especially we need to keep the 1 st victim, Nancy Lanza, in our thoughts and prayers. We need to honor the single people in our lives, and include them more in our lives. We need to remember how overwhelming it is to have mental illness in loved ones.

Please take take the time to read, "I am Adam Lanza's Mother."