I'm planning a trip to the farmer's market on 3rd Avenue for this afternoon. I plan it like an overly anal-retentive micro-manager. My main goal is to create happy, family-oriented memories for the child. Whatever I plan at this point, the times she will remember and take into her memories will be something unplanned, unpredicted, and might show her parents in less than rosy lights.

So why do I try? For the same reasons I am counting pennies into my purse for the outing. To make things better. To give her peace, to give her a sense of rightness in her universe, so that she trusts us and learns to trust the world around her. In some small way this is why the recent Amish school shootings are hitting me so hard in the emotional gut. Because it was just WRONG.

Now, it would have been wrong in any case, no matter where or who it hit. But even the most modern and high-tech of my acquaintances agree that there's something about innocence that is precious and not to be touched. For this level of violence to touch the lives of those who are a) children and b) part of a peaceful sect that has opted out of the high tech world, well... it's a whole new level of wrong. The amish do not have a beef with anybody else. Just want to be left alone, to follow their doctrines and non-violent beliefs in peace. I have never met anyone who would argue that they should be hurt for this. Peace is just too hard to find. Good intentions have dropped off the expected radar in so many other areas.

I feel like some old b-movie starlet crying out, Why can't we all just get along?

What happened to this world, what made this sort of thing possible?