Today marks the 3rd anniversary of the tragic Sandy Hook elementary school massacre. It’s amazing to think that even since then, and after the many mass killings since, that we’ve made no significant progress with respect to gun control. Although I wasn’t directly affected by the events I was hearing on the news that day, they had a personal impact. I had lived seven years of my life in Connecticut, however, I had never heard of Sandy Hook but for the fact that my college classmate and her family had moved there from New York City. I, usually with friends, had been up to the quiet, bucolic community a number of times for activities such as apple picking and dinners. If there was a model community for “that doesn’t happen here”…. I had broken bread with people who were directly affected. My daughter had played with children who later endured, or did not survive, that day. I would have never imagined that I would see people I associated with laughter and funny stories crying on the national news. The details of the events seemed surreal to me as they popped up on my screen that morning. I was transitioning from my one worksite to another. I reached out to my classmate–I can’t recall if by text or phone. I was relieved to hear that her child was safe. As everything unfolded it was obvious that being safe could not mean without trauma–especially for children. Once the news vans leave, the after affects remain. Medical research shows that childhood traumas can have repercussions for decades to come. Like New York after 9/11, and Paris, Beirut, Keyna, Aurora, Oregon, etc — Sandy Hook has wounds to heal. Ben’s Lighthouse is a not-for-profit started by the members of the Sandy Hook community to support the children of the community on their journey of healing. Today Aglow Dermatology shows gratitude to this organization for its important work. Join us! https://benslighthouse.org/about/