literal chills. As a non-American I cannot fathom this ever occurring but felt the absolute terror in your writing. I cannot imagine being wheelchair bound in a situation calling for running. I cannot imagine having to jump fences to evacuate school for your life. I am so happy your family was safe and can only send prayers to the other family. Thank you for sharing this raw but important story.
Thank you for the kindness and human resonance. What I can say is that it gives me hope that you cannot fathom this occurring, that is how it should be I think. When we have come to expect this to happen at some point, I think we have truly lost our way. I want this message to share long and wide because I cannot lose all hope that there is another way. I just cannot.
Oh Tanmeet, I'm thinking of you and your family and all of the students who were at that school, sending so much love and healing vibes your way. ❤️🩹❤️🩹❤️🩹
I'm so relieved that your children are safe, and that they have such a wonderful and knowledgeable mom to help them go through this. But they never should have gone through this in the first place, and I understand your feelings of anguish and the sense of despair that we can experience when we feel unsafe.
Trauma is so pervasive and everything you describe about the aftermath of it is exacty what I'm struggling with everyday. This is so hard, but you are one of the wonderful persons that gives me hope and reminds me that I'm not alone and that I can get through this.
So today I want to tell you that you are not alone, that we as a community are standing with you, and striving day after day for a world where everyone can feel safe. 🫂❤️
Sarah, that is exactly what I need, to remember I am never alone. I am so grateful for your taking a moment to connect, to nurture and to reflect. You are right, in community, we are stronger. Sending you big love.
I agree. I felt it from afar as my children are not there but they could have bern. would you please send your essay to The Seattle Times? Your eloquence deserves a wider audience. I can certainly imagine the cold terror you describe. and the rage that this keeps happening. sending love.
Thank you for reaching out Karin. I had not thought of sending it to them. But I think it's a good idea. let me chew on who to send it to. If you have any thoughts let me know. Or feel free to share it as well with anyone you like. The more we spread the message about how we cannot lose hope for change, the more chance we have at moving forward.
I am with you, as a fellow parent of a GHS sophomore. As our hearts break, how do they open further towards collective healing? I do not know. I teach nursing students and went to their pinning ceremony this morning for a brief nervous system.reset. Sending all the 💗 to you and yours.
It will take our whole school community to tend to each other. Yes, yes, yes, how do we make sure we are opening in the cracks...I am so grateful you are tending to your heart. In this collective, my prayer is that we can move forward together in a meaningful way. One that allows profound change to be the solution instead of the battle. Sending you and your family so much love. ❤️
Oh Tanmeet, Ughhh.... I groan in grief alongside you that this ever happens in school, and specifically today that your own kids have experienced this. Sending love and prayers to your dear family, the school community, the family who has lost their child.
As I read your very raw piece, I could only imagine the terror of your daughter, Zubin,, and then you, your husband, and other son as you learned of this incredibly horrible gun violence and trauma. I am so deeply sorry that you and your family have gone through this, as I am so sorry for the families of GHS and especially that of the young man killed. And, I cannot understand that we, as a country, have essentially done nothing to address gun ownership, violence, and murder. It makes no sense to me. I absolutely do not believe that individual rights should outweigh the needs/rights of the collective.
Having said this, I don't feel very powerful in terms of effecting change. I use my vote, write my politicians, and financially support causes and activists that I KNOW are addressing violence, persecution, and the need for peace.....in all their myriad forms.
So many of these comments reflect my thoughts. You are an amazing woman and mother, and I know your guidance will serve your family so well. I hold you in my heart as you help them to heal AND as you heal your precious self. May we, indeed, heal our country together. I will embrace hope.
As a New Zealander, I don't feel qualified to state anything about an American school shooting other than, those poor children, I can't imagine being in so much danger when I'm going to school. What I will say is, we have strict gun laws here and have only ever had one school shooting and that was in 1923. I feel for you guys, I truly do
Yes Fiona, I often use New Zealand as an example! What you all have done shows that change can be made and that outcomes can be different. Thank you for the solidarity and support.
Tanmeet, my heart aches for you and your family. I can only imagine how long those moments were, waiting to know that Zubin was safe. The trauma that your whole school community experienced should not be our reality in 2024. Change must happen. Somehow. We must demand it. Love to you.
Sending you and your family hugs and love. Thank you for sharing your thoughts on this horrifying experience. I feel crippled by my fear that this could happen so I just ignore the fear and pray and it’s maddening to feel so helpless. I’m so glad your family is ok
Thank you Nadia! Hope and prayer can be beautiful tools to help soften the fear, I agree. I’m glad we are ok and still rattled that not everyone is ok. Sending you and the others gratitude for reaching out. It matters.
Following the news in Seattle Times from a distance with horror and sadness, your writing is a balm of rational thought and emotional immediacy of family response. As a public health student, I deeply appreciate your list of other common sense public health measures and arrival at the crux of so much of the dissonance in American life, the worship of individual over collective. There are plenty of individuals who aspire to act on behalf of greater good of all, but the foundational ethos is one of individual "freedom" blind to our rooted interconnectedness as human beings in countless subtle and direct ways. Especially with your reminder to take care of our nervous systems in response to trauma, I'd ❤️ for this essay to be read widely, so I shared on my social media and hope it may find it's way to a broad audience. (GHS is my mother's alma mater from a time long before school shootings and active shooter drills were a constant collective presence).
Thanks for sharing it Erin and for sending your thoughts and love. Feeling this community holding me and the world with hope makes such a difference for me. ❤️
This is the most heartbreaking of posts and an experience I cannot imagine. While I am so glad your children are okay it is shattering to think of the loss of any child, the uncertainty each of them faces (and the school staff) as they enter their school every day. Many years ago, when I was in school, this kind of thing would not have seemed possible and yet, as you say Tanmeet, it has become a way of life. May we all move forward to create a different kind of world for our children and ourselves.
Thank you for this sobering reminder of the reality that we live in today. I am sending you and your family energy to heal from this terrifying event—it brought tears to my eyes and such deep sadness for Zubin, your daughter and all the children. I really feel that the turning will have to come from the collective spirits and souls that shine their light in this world. It is very clear it won't be from government. Thank you for all that you do Tanmeet and for shining your light and sharing your gifts.
Tanmeet, politics divide and don't solve many things, therefore courage of the people is essential, and lacking, and it is partly do to control and divide tactics to keep people "in the herd". I have done a lot of research on this and write about it with plans to write more- there are a lot of programs to conceal our personal power. (a partial answer to your question of why things don't change for our safety). Thank you for your personal perspective.
Oh my, so much love . Prayers for your family and all the families. Prayers your nervous systems can calm even a bit. I have worked with trauma all the time and then when some traumatic events happened to my family and baby this past year, it doesn’t matter how much you “know,” the body needs healing for sure.
I couldn't agree more. Definitely directed energy towards our nervous systems. And our hearts so that we can hope again and lift the family whose trauma is enduring.
Love you ❤️
Sending you love right back my friend. May we all heal forward and together.
literal chills. As a non-American I cannot fathom this ever occurring but felt the absolute terror in your writing. I cannot imagine being wheelchair bound in a situation calling for running. I cannot imagine having to jump fences to evacuate school for your life. I am so happy your family was safe and can only send prayers to the other family. Thank you for sharing this raw but important story.
Thank you for the kindness and human resonance. What I can say is that it gives me hope that you cannot fathom this occurring, that is how it should be I think. When we have come to expect this to happen at some point, I think we have truly lost our way. I want this message to share long and wide because I cannot lose all hope that there is another way. I just cannot.
Oh Tanmeet, I'm thinking of you and your family and all of the students who were at that school, sending so much love and healing vibes your way. ❤️🩹❤️🩹❤️🩹
I'm so relieved that your children are safe, and that they have such a wonderful and knowledgeable mom to help them go through this. But they never should have gone through this in the first place, and I understand your feelings of anguish and the sense of despair that we can experience when we feel unsafe.
Trauma is so pervasive and everything you describe about the aftermath of it is exacty what I'm struggling with everyday. This is so hard, but you are one of the wonderful persons that gives me hope and reminds me that I'm not alone and that I can get through this.
So today I want to tell you that you are not alone, that we as a community are standing with you, and striving day after day for a world where everyone can feel safe. 🫂❤️
I'm keeping you in my thoughts and in my heart.
Sarah, that is exactly what I need, to remember I am never alone. I am so grateful for your taking a moment to connect, to nurture and to reflect. You are right, in community, we are stronger. Sending you big love.
❤️❤️❤️
I agree. I felt it from afar as my children are not there but they could have bern. would you please send your essay to The Seattle Times? Your eloquence deserves a wider audience. I can certainly imagine the cold terror you describe. and the rage that this keeps happening. sending love.
Thank you for reaching out Karin. I had not thought of sending it to them. But I think it's a good idea. let me chew on who to send it to. If you have any thoughts let me know. Or feel free to share it as well with anyone you like. The more we spread the message about how we cannot lose hope for change, the more chance we have at moving forward.
I am with you, as a fellow parent of a GHS sophomore. As our hearts break, how do they open further towards collective healing? I do not know. I teach nursing students and went to their pinning ceremony this morning for a brief nervous system.reset. Sending all the 💗 to you and yours.
It will take our whole school community to tend to each other. Yes, yes, yes, how do we make sure we are opening in the cracks...I am so grateful you are tending to your heart. In this collective, my prayer is that we can move forward together in a meaningful way. One that allows profound change to be the solution instead of the battle. Sending you and your family so much love. ❤️
Oh Tanmeet, Ughhh.... I groan in grief alongside you that this ever happens in school, and specifically today that your own kids have experienced this. Sending love and prayers to your dear family, the school community, the family who has lost their child.
May your prayers and love multiply. 🙏🏽🙏🏽🙏🏽
Dearest Tanmeet,
As I read your very raw piece, I could only imagine the terror of your daughter, Zubin,, and then you, your husband, and other son as you learned of this incredibly horrible gun violence and trauma. I am so deeply sorry that you and your family have gone through this, as I am so sorry for the families of GHS and especially that of the young man killed. And, I cannot understand that we, as a country, have essentially done nothing to address gun ownership, violence, and murder. It makes no sense to me. I absolutely do not believe that individual rights should outweigh the needs/rights of the collective.
Having said this, I don't feel very powerful in terms of effecting change. I use my vote, write my politicians, and financially support causes and activists that I KNOW are addressing violence, persecution, and the need for peace.....in all their myriad forms.
So many of these comments reflect my thoughts. You are an amazing woman and mother, and I know your guidance will serve your family so well. I hold you in my heart as you help them to heal AND as you heal your precious self. May we, indeed, heal our country together. I will embrace hope.
I embrace hope with you my friend. The collective is our only hope. ❤️
As a New Zealander, I don't feel qualified to state anything about an American school shooting other than, those poor children, I can't imagine being in so much danger when I'm going to school. What I will say is, we have strict gun laws here and have only ever had one school shooting and that was in 1923. I feel for you guys, I truly do
Yes Fiona, I often use New Zealand as an example! What you all have done shows that change can be made and that outcomes can be different. Thank you for the solidarity and support.
Tanmeet, my heart aches for you and your family. I can only imagine how long those moments were, waiting to know that Zubin was safe. The trauma that your whole school community experienced should not be our reality in 2024. Change must happen. Somehow. We must demand it. Love to you.
It must. Somehow. I am with you that the demanding has to happen. I always have gratitude for your support and love.
Sending you and your family hugs and love. Thank you for sharing your thoughts on this horrifying experience. I feel crippled by my fear that this could happen so I just ignore the fear and pray and it’s maddening to feel so helpless. I’m so glad your family is ok
Thank you Nadia! Hope and prayer can be beautiful tools to help soften the fear, I agree. I’m glad we are ok and still rattled that not everyone is ok. Sending you and the others gratitude for reaching out. It matters.
Following the news in Seattle Times from a distance with horror and sadness, your writing is a balm of rational thought and emotional immediacy of family response. As a public health student, I deeply appreciate your list of other common sense public health measures and arrival at the crux of so much of the dissonance in American life, the worship of individual over collective. There are plenty of individuals who aspire to act on behalf of greater good of all, but the foundational ethos is one of individual "freedom" blind to our rooted interconnectedness as human beings in countless subtle and direct ways. Especially with your reminder to take care of our nervous systems in response to trauma, I'd ❤️ for this essay to be read widely, so I shared on my social media and hope it may find it's way to a broad audience. (GHS is my mother's alma mater from a time long before school shootings and active shooter drills were a constant collective presence).
Thanks for sharing it Erin and for sending your thoughts and love. Feeling this community holding me and the world with hope makes such a difference for me. ❤️
Sending much Aloha to you and your family. Please take care! My heart breaks also. Thomas
❤️❤️❤️
This is the most heartbreaking of posts and an experience I cannot imagine. While I am so glad your children are okay it is shattering to think of the loss of any child, the uncertainty each of them faces (and the school staff) as they enter their school every day. Many years ago, when I was in school, this kind of thing would not have seemed possible and yet, as you say Tanmeet, it has become a way of life. May we all move forward to create a different kind of world for our children and ourselves.
I resonate with your blessing and wishes. May we all move forward and together. ❤️
Thank you for this sobering reminder of the reality that we live in today. I am sending you and your family energy to heal from this terrifying event—it brought tears to my eyes and such deep sadness for Zubin, your daughter and all the children. I really feel that the turning will have to come from the collective spirits and souls that shine their light in this world. It is very clear it won't be from government. Thank you for all that you do Tanmeet and for shining your light and sharing your gifts.
Thank you Heidi. Your thoughts feel like a comfort to me.
Tanmeet, politics divide and don't solve many things, therefore courage of the people is essential, and lacking, and it is partly do to control and divide tactics to keep people "in the herd". I have done a lot of research on this and write about it with plans to write more- there are a lot of programs to conceal our personal power. (a partial answer to your question of why things don't change for our safety). Thank you for your personal perspective.
Thank you for writing on this and for this share. Looking forward to your writing and more exploration!
Thank you, Tanmeet, I also look forward to your essays.
Oh my, so much love . Prayers for your family and all the families. Prayers your nervous systems can calm even a bit. I have worked with trauma all the time and then when some traumatic events happened to my family and baby this past year, it doesn’t matter how much you “know,” the body needs healing for sure.
I couldn't agree more. Definitely directed energy towards our nervous systems. And our hearts so that we can hope again and lift the family whose trauma is enduring.