In The Heart of Forgiveness: Robbie Parker Offers Forgiveness to Daughter’s Killer’s Family in Connecticut

“Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.”  ~ Martin Luther King, Jr.

Is it fate that we approach 12-21-12 with such heavy hearts or is it just another transition in a season of change that is upon us? Yes, 2012 has been a harsh and intense year for many. Some fear a coming apocalypse on the Winter Solstice this year but it is only a day in the flow of time. We will continue, the earth will go on; but now we close out the year with the season of joy laid bare by the sound of bullets and children screaming.

True, children die all over the world every day in harsh and brutal ways, fading away like leaves crushed to the ground.  Adults as well, pass from this earth; we know this is the way of life, that we all must exit this place.

Somehow we can’t quite accept when the young go first. It doesn’t seem natural that a child dies before their parents. Perhaps that is why we will never be the same after the Sandy Hook School shooting, in Newtown, Conn. on Friday, Dec. 14.

Twenty children and six faculty members at the elementary school were killed. The shooter took his life at the scene and we have been told he killed his mother before he left his home that day.

It was an act that ratcheted around the world bringing tears to the eyes of the most stoic. They were only children killed by another who was little more than a child himself. We do not know the shadows that darkened the heart of this, Adam Lanza, who unleashed such fury upon the most vulnerable. We cannot imagine the terror these little ones experienced.

The stories we have heard from this incident have broken our hearts but renewed our connections with each other. There are many things that occur on this planet that have the ability to shift our consciousness. This tragic act though, unfortunate has impacted our souls in a profound way.  We have so much sympathy for the pain these people are going through as the loss is so heavy. Words are hard to find and we can only stand with this town, hoping our comfort diminishes some of their pain.

Theirs are the stories that exemplify the greatness of the human spirit. I am blown away by the statements of some of the parents who lost children that day. Robbie Parker is one whose words touched me greatly. He and his wife Alissa lost their 6-year-old daughter, Emile in the shooting.

Mr. Parker wanted to share somethings about his daughter in a press conference. His  grace and strength were startling under the circumstances. What he said was beautiful and empowering. In addition to sharing wonderful anecdotes on the adorable daughter he offered forgiveness to the family of the man who had killed his daughter.

He said: "I can't imagine how hard this experience must be for you, and I want you to know that our family and our love and our support goes out to you as well." cnn.com/2012/12/16/us/connecticut-emilie-parker/index.html

Those words stopped me in my tracks. I thought of all the trite things I have held onto while they raised my blood pressure. I wonder how many things do we hold onto? How hard is it for us to forgive simple things? How often do we stay mad over ridiculous stuff? None of it is important really.

“Humanity is never so beautiful as when praying for forgiveness, or else forgiving another.”
~Jean Paul

This amazing man’s words touched my heart. I could see how special his daughter must have been and understand the legacy she and the other children left. Robbie Parker’s gift of forgiveness has rippled around the globe and his simple statement has diminished the darkness in an open wound.

We have within us a great river. It is filled with compassion, honor and love. Such simple things we have and do not always share until a great thing urges us to be our true selves. My deepest regards go out to all those touched by this tragedy.