As I've stated numerous times before, December is by far my favorite month of the year, mostly due to the fact that it means Christmas is right around the corner. From the holiday's build-up, fun festivities, delicious treats, awesome gifts and more, I love it all. As corny and cliche as it sounds, I get happier each day as Christmas draws near. There's so much to be excited about that it's hard not to be happy. However, even during the most celebratory times, anything is bound to happen. As I mentioned in my previous Injection of Inspiration blog post, death is inevitable and could happen at any instant, and it seems I spoke too soon. Unfortunately, there was a mass shooting today in my home state of Connecticut that took the lives of more than twenty children. 

First off, what kind of sick-minded, demented person would target children? Upon hearing the news at the end of my school day today, I was absolutely sickened and disgusted. It's always tragic to hear about a violent shooting in the news, but when it happens in your state or somewhere near you, it becomes ten times more frightening. What's worse is that these horrific happenings are becoming more frequent. While they aren't happening daily, there's still been more shootings in the last five years than ever before (or at least to my knowledge). There's some crazy people out there, and I'm not saying that they'll be going away anytime soon (if ever), but rather that we should attempt to avoid these rare occurrences at all costs. Granted, some things just can't be seen coming, but we also learn from these tragedies as well. 

If there's one thing that almost all humans fear, it's death. As sad as it may sound, death is inevitable. That isn't meant to sound depressing whatsoever, but there's no avoiding death. We all go through it at some point, but usually it's later in life. However, death (or any negative occurrence) can happen at any time. Again, that isn't meant to scare you, but this goes back to my previous Injection of Inspiration post as to how you should appreciate everything and everyone you have before they're gone. Why did I choose to write about the topic of death on this day, you ask? Well, today marks the ten-year anniversary of the day I lost someone very close in my family. Granted, I was a mere youngster at the time and didn't realize the full seriousness of the situation until later in life, but I was still heavily affected by it, as was my life. 

One thing I mentioned in my newest novel, Aspire to Inspire, is that at one point, I begged for sympathy from others. I'm not even talking about at the time, but rather years later. I just wanted the attention. I've since realized that was wrong (obviously) and using a family member that passed away years ago as an excuse to get attention was pretty pathetic. That being said, never used a dead love one as a way to garner attention. The sympathy will come organically, not forced. But that's not what I wanted to discuss. After anyone you care for passes away, it's normal to feel sadness. It'd actually be abnormal if you didn't feel sad following a loved one's death. While it's great to reminisce and relive the memories you once shared with that person, you can't their death hold you back. Now, I'm not saying to get over someone's death the very next day, but don't let your sadness get in the way of your own happiness. I'm sure that person wouldn't want to see you sad, even if it's over their passing. They want to see you happy. The healing process takes time, but keep in mind that these kind of experiences are what make you stronger.