This weekend I was watching my son running a neighborhood playground through its paces with a buddy from his T-ball team, when my phone started buzzing with news updates.
There had been an accident involving a bus filled with athletes from the high-school in our neighborhood.
Reading the details beginning to come in regarding the crash, I fought (and lost) a battle with my tears as I thought about those teenage passengers returning from a weekend trip.
Because once you become a mom- once you have a child – they are ALL your child.
Every baby that you see precariously practicing their walking skills on a blanket in the park who makes you gasp and unconsciously reach out your hands when they fall forward, no matter how far away you are, is your child.
Every name on every tag on every giving tree at Christmas time – with wish lists ranging from the grandiose to the basic, is your child.
Every neighbor kid with a skinned knee, every story of a food reaction in the school cafeteria, every little one you see struggling to keep up with the others at soccer practice… they are all your child.
And so also, the picture of the boy sitting quietly in the middle of the aftermath of an explosion halfway around the world, caked in dirt and blood, is your child. The Amber Alert that wakes you at 3 a.m. providing details of a kidnapping, is your child. The bus full of high school athletes that crashes on the way back to the school after a game, is full of your children.
The hungry, the abused, the hurt, the abandoned -are all your child.
You think what you would think if it was your child…. You pray the child isn’t scared, isn’t alone, isn’t in pain….
Knows that they are loved.
Because your heart IS that mother’s heart. We are connected by the most primal instinct – to nurture and protect our children.
And so we cry. And we pray. And we hug our own children a little tighter.
But also – we act.
We reach out, we plan and we fund-raise and and we search and we work and we raise our voices to anyone who will listen for the little people who make up our worlds, both very near, and very far away as well.
Because they are all our children.
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The following sites are accepting donations for those affected by the bus accident in my community:
The driver of the bus was tragically killed. She was a mom, a wife, and a grandmother. You can support her family here
Three coaches were seriously injured in the crash. You can support them and their families here. Two of the coaches have been released from the hospital.
Coach Kroupa remains hospitalized with severe injuries. You can support him and his family here. (This gofundme was funded to 150%! Thank you!)
A Legacy High Senior has a general gofundme page for those affected. The school administration will have oversight of the funds. You can support the page here.
**If you are in Broomfield or in the surrounding communities, an online auction organized by the Broomfield Area Moms FB group is taking place with all proceeds benefiting those affected. More information is available here.**
Reluctantly Suburban 