Accountability: Meeting Adam Lanza's Father

CBS News recently aired this interview with Alissa and Robbie Parker, the parents of Emilie Parker- a beautiful little girl whose life came to a tragic end in the Newtown, CT massacre. Alissa and Robbie were able to meet with Peter Lanza, the father of Adam Lanza, the young man responsible for the school shooting that took the lives of 26 people- 20 children and six adults.

This interview brought tears to my eyes. Losing a child must be such a horrible thing to endure. Alissa and Robbie Parker are anything but full of hate and bitterness, however; their responses in this interview show us a strong couple determined to honor their daughter's memory by living for their family.

Just as a reminder, you can read Robbie and Alissa's blog for more information about their family: The Parker Five.

The Parker Five

(Image courtesy of the Parker family.)

As I writer, I know that the act of writing can provide a therapeutic effect in addition to being an outlet for creativity. In the wake of the Newtown, CT tragedy, the Parker family has created a blog in order to express their love for Emilie, work through the difficult days without her, and to share their story- and Emilie's- with the world.

Needless to say, the posts were amazing to read. I can't even imagine how it would feel to lose a child in a tragedy like this. The Parker family has worked very hard to rebuild their lives and to unify their "family of five." You can read their blog at the following link:

The Parker Five

Newtown, CT: An Addendum

As an addendum to my previous post about Emilie Parker, I wanted to mention that The United Way of Western Connecticut has created the Sandy Hook School Support Fund to provide support services to the families and community that has been affected. CNN has also posted a great article providing links to various resources for families, victims, and anyone who may have been affected by the tragedy.

Finally, Yahoo posted a really emotional article with background information on each of the victims of the shooting. Personally, I feel that it's "more" worth reading than the majority of the articles being posted on this tragedy simply because it focuses on the victims rather than the coward shooter.

I want to thank everyone who found my blog by searching for information on the shooting in Newtown, CT. My last blog post about Emilie received so many hits; I hope that I was able to generate some additional traffic for her memorial page, and that in doing so I have assisted her family in some way.

My heart truly aches for the children who will never return home to their families, and for the adults who courageously gave their lives trying to defend their students.

Emilie Parker: A Young Victim of the Newtown, CT Massacre

I'm working on a larger blog regarding the events that took place earlier today in Newtown, CT. However, I believe that this beautiful little girl deserves her very own blog post.

My wife went to school with Emilie's parents, Alyssa and Robbie. At some point, they moved to CT and settled down with their young family, which consisted of three beautiful little girls. The oldest, Emilie, was a student at Sandy Hook Elementary School.

Unfortunately, Emilie is among the victims of today's shooting. This sweet little girl will never come home to her parents, thanks to the actions of one pathetic coward.

In Utah, KSL News will be covering this story on 12/14/12 at 10:00 p.m. Friends of Alyssa and Robbie have set up an account with America First Credit Union and are asking for any donations in order to assist the family in their time of need. The account number for donations is 9056862. A Facebook page (Emilie Parker Fund) has also been created to share information and condolences for the family.

I can't imagine being a parent and having my children in this situation. We plan on donating to the fund, and I encourage everyone else to do the same, if you are financially able to do so. As I'm writing this- at almost 10:00 p.m. MST- Alyssa and Robbie are still waiting to identify their beloved daughter's body. Nothing will bring their little girl back, but maybe we can show them that their family is being kept in our hearts during this difficult, troubling time.