Right now, it is 2 AM and I am just sitting here thinking about this whole situation.
When I think I can't cry for these kids anymore I just weep and sob. When I think I can't pray I just plead to God for them. I know that their are others who have experienced tragedy and brutality in their lives but you never contemplate it until it happens to someone you know and care about. I don't care who you are, the reality does not set in until then. Personally, I pray that no one ever has to experience this feeling.
I have been thru it once before when my cousin was brutally murdered. Her murderer is on death row here in NC. Now this with these precious children.
As a mom, I have done all I can to keep my children safe. I am as cautious as they come. Some say I am over protective. I know where they are, who they are with, what they are doing and I don't let them come and go as they please. I lock my doors, I screen all of their friends and the friends of their friends. I have taught them to fight back and I have taught them to avoid dangerous situations whenever possible. But this....This has simply shaken me to the core of my being. I know that my son visits the home that this occured in. I know that his friends like to hang out there. I know members of the extended family of these girls.But I didn't know that the idiot who did this would ever be a factor. Quite simply, I didn't know he even existed. So it the questions that is begging to be answered in my mind is, "What else can you do when you have done all you can to insure your child's safety?" I am a firm believer in praying for my kids. Everyday I pray for God to encamp His angels about this and for His keeping power to be upon them.
Please, do everything that you possibly can to keep your babies safe. Even when you think you have been as diligent as possible be more diligent. It seems as if these atrocities are being perpetrated by people that know the families or who have had some contact with them. The danger is literally from "unexpected sources".
Sorry for the rambling but I think that this thing is really just hitting me. The protective shock is wearing off. And it is frightening. Very frightening.