And she can write too.
Editors note: Well buckle up my friends. Frank’s Place has it’s first guest author. We don’t just dip our toe in. We got a heavy hitter who is weighing in on a heavy subject. Mrs Frank’s Place is letting it all flow out on the latest mass shooting in America.
I don’t generally write on intense topics because I don’t have the voice for it. I feel wholly and uniquely unqualified. Maybe that’s just an excuse. But it’s one I’ve come to accept.
My wife, as those that know her will attest, has the voice for it. I can tell you she is way out of her comfort zone going public with her thoughts. It’s a tough thing to lay your thoughts out in the public sphere. But she stepped out there and I’m honored she did it here. So I offer you her voice without reservation or disclaimer.
Here now Mrs Frank’s Place on the latest mass shooting in America.
My husband and I belong to an unofficial group of people that no one ever wants to join. It is informal yet exclusive. Circumstances vary vastly on how we became part yet our empathy and compassion run deep for each other. Although we don't truly understand each other completely we can identify with the pain, agony, despair, darkness and unimaginable places that we know each other has been and may continue to live part or all of each day. We can tell you that you do not want to be part of this group and you do not want your family or friends to be part of it either.
My husband and I are parents that have lost a child.
I write this today after yesterday. And after all the yesterdays I have seen since we lost our Linda Claire. I think that often I can't do something because it is little or I don't have time or I don't have the energy or what will people say or I don't want to go deep in a public space or mostly because I don't want to expose my own pain or any other excuse I could come up with . . . . However, today I decided to let all my excuses go and make my request.
Please do whatever it is that you feel you should actively do to stop our children from being gunned down. I don't know what that is for you. I do know that it doesn't seem to be stopping & it doesn't seem that anyone is immune. So I ask - please do one thing to help your community and our nation so that another parent does not have to experience the loss of a child.
One actionable thing.
Mrs Frank’s Place
Frank's Place 
D’oh, I thought I left a reply here but it must have been on Facebook.
One: congrats on your first (?) post at Frank’s Place! Tell Fran to have you do more guest posts 🙂
Two: it’s unconscionable that we keep having mass shootings like this (along with other gun violence on a daily basis) when other wealthy, industrialized countries don’t. I think it’s also really telling that various armed forces veterans, who have seen live combat, are like, “randomly arming every single person at that movie theater/THAT CHURCH FOR GOODNESS SAKE/ THAT ELEMENTARY SCHOOL OMG WHAT IS WRONG WITH PEOPLE/ etc. would not have improved the situation. In fact, it probably would have made things much, much worse.”
So the next time some Die Hard wanna-be is like, “oh, if Mrs. Crabapple’s kindegarten class had all been packing, they could have defended themselves,” I will remember the below article:
http://www.thenation.com/article/combat-vets-destroy-the-nras-heroic-gunslinger-fantasy/
Thus ends this temporary comment hijack 😦
She can post as much as she wants. She may become the lead writer now that I’m off to work.
I’m with you Katherine. Having armed citizens not trained to respond when bullets fly will only cause more bullets to fly. That’s no good in my book.
So hi-jack all you want.
[…] One Actionable Thing. Our first guest author at Frank’s Place and she lands in the top 3. How do you like them apples? Mrs Frank’s Place took to the key board after the one of many mass shootings this year. […]