gdata.io.handleScriptLoaded({"version":"1.0","encoding":"UTF-8","feed":{"xmlns":"http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom","xmlns$openSearch":"http://a9.com/-/spec/opensearchrss/1.0/","xmlns$gd":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005","xmlns$georss":"http://www.georss.org/georss","xmlns$thr":"http://purl.org/syndication/thread/1.0","xmlns$blogger":"http://schemas.google.com/blogger/2008","id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2992458009156144390"},"updated":{"$t":"2023-09-27T19:20:45.956-07:00"},"category":[{"term":"Father"},{"term":"Dating your spouse"},{"term":"Virgin Gorda"},{"term":"Shootings"},{"term":"poverty"},{"term":"Lou Malnati's"},{"term":"God"},{"term":"Weight loss"},{"term":"Black Friday"},{"term":"romantic"},{"term":"anxiety"},{"term":"Medicine"},{"term":"Date Night"},{"term":"Motherhood"},{"term":"Holidays"},{"term":"kids"},{"term":"Giveaway"},{"term":"OCD"},{"term":"children"},{"term":"Heaven"},{"term":"Thanksgiving"},{"term":"Mental illness"},{"term":"Newtown"},{"term":"Postpartum depression"},{"term":"Death"},{"term":"Mom guilt"},{"term":"Christmas"},{"term":"dating with kids"},{"term":"life"},{"term":"Honeymoon"},{"term":"Poetry"},{"term":"Parenthood"},{"term":"Marriage"},{"term":"Counseling"},{"term":"Giving"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"megan cordell"},"subtitle":{"type":"html","$t":""},"link":[{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#feed","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"https://www.blogger.com/feeds/2992458009156144390/posts/default/-/Shootings?alt\u003djson-in-script\u0026max-results\u003d5"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"https://www.blogger.com/feeds/2992458009156144390/posts/default/-/Shootings?alt\u003djson-in-script\u0026max-results\u003d5"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http://www.megancordell.com/search/label/Shootings"},{"rel":"hub","href":"http://pubsubhubbub.appspot.com/"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"meg"},"uri":{"$t":"https://www.blogger.com/profile/09546619783461331433"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$image":{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail","width":"32","height":"29","src":"//blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilQL7twZTeVtE2hJkjT88LZPQZSB1wEGnttPaiLX5oQi6DHVW6PZqsK_RqoE5he6wtRnoJ2sOFfSSvWC0JvjaPm7nZ_t83cfPF5OkdtPC8Q5BLSgPfSTDQJDAMTZrXcQ/s220/IMG_5218.jpg"}}],"generator":{"version":"7.00","uri":"https://www.blogger.com","$t":"Blogger"},"openSearch$totalResults":{"$t":"1"},"openSearch$startIndex":{"$t":"1"},"openSearch$itemsPerPage":{"$t":"5"},"entry":[{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2992458009156144390.post-1733897118226001344"},"published":{"$t":"2012-12-19T20:36:00.001-08:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2023-08-16T07:23:42.202-07:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Death"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Heaven"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Mental illness"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Newtown"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"children"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Shootings"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"When Evil Visits."},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"\u003cdiv class\u003d\"separator\" style\u003d\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003e\n\u003ca href\u003d\"http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-1YQxsdIRH9s/UNKVLzX7cvI/AAAAAAAAAOI/7nAy75wIo2g/s1600/DSC_0670.jpg\" style\u003d\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003e\u003cimg border\u003d\"0\" height\u003d\"273\" src\u003d\"http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-1YQxsdIRH9s/UNKVLzX7cvI/AAAAAAAAAOI/7nAy75wIo2g/s320/DSC_0670.jpg\" width\u003d\"320\" /\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cbr /\u003e\n\u003cbr /\u003e\n\u003cbr /\u003e\n\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-family: verdana;\"\u003e\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-size: small;\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eI told my six-year old, Mercy, about the Newtown, CT shooting, the day it happened.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\n\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-size: small;\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\n\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-size: small;\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eI held her in my lap as I tearfully explained that a bad man had done a very bad thing by killing about 20 kids and six adults, and also himself.\u0026nbsp; I explained that he was dead and couldn't hurt anyone anymore.\u0026nbsp; She cried with me.\u0026nbsp; We watched the President's first public response togethe\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-size: small;\"\u003er and cried some more. I hel\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-size: small;\"\u003ed her tight into \u003cspan style\u003d\"font-size: small;\"\u003emy chest, and lamented t\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-size: small;\"\u003ehat those parents wh\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-size: small;\"\u003eo lost their babies could no longer feel that\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-size: small;\"\u003e wholeness.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/span\u003e \u003cbr /\u003e\n\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-size: small;\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\n\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-size: small;\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eThe experience in telling her these things was a bit unreal, and perhaps some parents would disagree with me that I did it in the first place\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-size: small;\"\u003e--w\u003c/span\u003ehy expose a young, innocent mind to the evils of this world so early?\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\n\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-size: small;\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\n\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-size: small;\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eMy reasoning was two-fold: first, I wanted her to hear it from me before she had the chance to potentially hear it from busmates, classmates, or \u003cspan style\u003d\"font-size: small;\"\u003eher teacher\u003c/span\u003e.\u0026nbsp; She is in fact only in first grade, but I cannot control the exposure she has outside of my care.\u0026nbsp; So I wanted to teach her a proper reaction, which leads to my second reason: I wanted her to see that it is okay to be sad about these sorts of things. The Bible says to \"mourn with those who mourn,\" and even though we don't personally know these people, we are still connected in many ways.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\n\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-size: small;\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\n\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-size: small;\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eLittle did I know that she would stand up in class on Monday and make an announcement about the shooting.\u0026nbsp; I guess with her teacher's permission, Mercy gave about a five minute \u003cspan style\u003d\"font-size: small;\"\u003esp\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-size: small;\"\u003eeech\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/span\u003e about \u003cspan style\u003d\"font-size: small;\"\u003eSandy Hook \u003cspan style\u003d\"font-size: small;\"\u003eElementary\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/span\u003e.\u0026nbsp; I had her recount to me what she told them, a little afraid that I would be receiving angry phone calls from parents.\u0026nbsp; After what she told me, though, I must say she did a pretty good job.\u0026nbsp; \u003cspan style\u003d\"font-size: small;\"\u003eShe gave them a limited account of the event.\u0026nbsp; She talked about how the parents \u003cspan style\u003d\"font-size: small;\"\u003ewould be missing their children, and families would be missing their \u003cspan style\u003d\"font-size: small;\"\u003efamily.\u0026nbsp; \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/span\u003eShe reassured her peers, stating that the reason they have practice drills at school are to ensure that nothing like that would ever happen to them.\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-size: small;\"\u003e\u0026nbsp; \u003c/span\u003eShe also reassured them that the children who died are now in Heaven where God can protect them.\u0026nbsp; That last part there kinda made me gasp...oooh, talking about Heaven in school?\u0026nbsp; Well, \u003cspan style\u003d\"font-size: small;\"\u003eeven though we believe in Heaven in our house, I hope it doesn't \u003cspan style\u003d\"font-size: small;\"\u003eruffle any feathers\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-size: small;\"\u003e at a state institution.\u0026nbsp; But so far, I haven't gotten any feedback so I think that means we are in the clear.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\n\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-size: small;\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\n\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-size: small;\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eAfter I told a friend about \u003cspan style\u003d\"font-size: small;\"\u003ewhat Mercy said, they \u003c/span\u003easked me what I believe Heaven to be.\u0026nbsp; So many people think of the fluffy white clouds, playing harps and the like.\u0026nbsp; I know there are plenty of Biblical references to Heaven, which can sometimes seem a bit cryptic\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-size: small;\"\u003e (although I did find Randy Alcorn's book \u003cspan style\u003d\"font-size: small;\"\u003e'Heaven' to be helpful in understanding some of these verses).\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u0026nbsp; I think it is because Heaven is a place we haven't truly experienced here on earth.\u0026nbsp; The only way I can \u003cspan style\u003d\"font-size: small;\"\u003eaccurately\u003c/span\u003e describe what I believe it to be is where everything is made right.\u0026nbsp; We all get the sense that something is off in this world, that there are hopes that need fulfillment, injustices that need retribution, and decay that needs restoration.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\n\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-size: small;\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\n\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-size: small;\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eIn an abridged exposure to this world's painful reality, my hope is for Mercy and my other children that they can be trained how to appropriately respond and love others during these strange tragedies.\u0026nbsp; My prayer is that they don't turn into cynics, but instead they turn into blossoming love machines who have eternity in mind.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\n\u003cbr /\u003e\n\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-size: small;\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eAn\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-size: small;\"\u003ed w\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-size: small;\"\u003eith that, I leave you \u003cspan style\u003d\"font-size: small;\"\u003ewith this, a few lyrics and a quote that have affected me as I long for Heaven and \u003cspan style\u003d\"font-size: small;\"\u003eJesus to make ev\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-size: small;\"\u003eerything new.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/span\u003e \u003cbr /\u003e\n\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-size: small;\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\n\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-size: small;\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\"There’s a time for peace and there is a time for war\u003cbr /\u003e\na time to forgive and a time to settle the score\u003cbr /\u003e\na time for babies to lose their lives\u003cbr /\u003e\na time for hunger and genocide\u003cbr /\u003e\nthis too shall be made right.\"\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\n\u003cbr /\u003e\n\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-size: small;\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003e-Derek Webb\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\n\u003cbr /\u003e\n\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-size: small;\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\n\n\u003cbr /\u003e\n\u003c/span\u003e\u003cdiv class\u003d\"quoteText\"\u003e\n\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-family: verdana;\"\u003e\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-size: small;\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\n    \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\n\u003c/span\u003e\u003ch1 class\u003d\"quoteText\"\u003e\n\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-family: verdana;\"\u003e\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-weight: normal;\"\u003e\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-size: small;\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\n      “If we find ourselves with a desire that nothing in this world can\n satisfy, the most probable explanation is that we were made for another\n world\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-size: small;\"\u003e.\"\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-size: small;\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/h1\u003e\n\u003ch1 class\u003d\"quoteText\"\u003e\n\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-weight: normal;\"\u003e\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-size: small;\"\u003e\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-family: verdana;\"\u003e―\n    C.S. Lewis\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\n\u003c/h1\u003e\n\u003c/div\u003e\n"},"link":[{"rel":"replies","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http://www.megancordell.com/feeds/1733897118226001344/comments/default","title":"Post Comments"},{"rel":"replies","type":"text/html","href":"http://www.megancordell.com/2012/12/when-evil-visits.html#comment-form","title":"2 Comments"},{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"https://www.blogger.com/feeds/2992458009156144390/posts/default/1733897118226001344"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"https://www.blogger.com/feeds/2992458009156144390/posts/default/1733897118226001344"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http://www.megancordell.com/2012/12/when-evil-visits.html","title":"When Evil Visits."}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"meg"},"uri":{"$t":"https://www.blogger.com/profile/09546619783461331433"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$image":{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail","width":"32","height":"29","src":"//blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilQL7twZTeVtE2hJkjT88LZPQZSB1wEGnttPaiLX5oQi6DHVW6PZqsK_RqoE5he6wtRnoJ2sOFfSSvWC0JvjaPm7nZ_t83cfPF5OkdtPC8Q5BLSgPfSTDQJDAMTZrXcQ/s220/IMG_5218.jpg"}}],"media$thumbnail":{"xmlns$media":"http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/","url":"http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-1YQxsdIRH9s/UNKVLzX7cvI/AAAAAAAAAOI/7nAy75wIo2g/s72-c/DSC_0670.jpg","height":"72","width":"72"},"thr$total":{"$t":"2"}}]}});