Ms. Kim's Survivors

You probably can't read the writing on this. It's in pencil, and it says Ms. Kim's 4th Grade Survivors.

Seven years ago, I got a call at about the time school would be letting out. He-man was just across the street at the school and would be walking in any minute, or so I thought. The caller asked me to come pick He-man up because there had been "an accident." All I knew was that a car had hit the building. Well, his classroom was at the very back corner of the school, so I was a little confused.

Fast forward, today the woman who did this is free. Her family was wealthy, but she is mentally ill. This woman, a teacher's aid, decided she needed to end her life. How did she attempt it? She went to the middle of the field behind the school with her car. People did see her going forward and then back, but it didn't register. She then held the accelerator down and slammed into my baby boy's classroom. I can't imagine the sound or the shock that must have been felt by those 21 4th graders and their teacher. The teacher was thrown by the blast. Miraculously, nobody was seriously hurt.

A steel cross beam was built at a diagonal in the wall. A few inches over, and she would have cleared it. I don't like to think about that though.

This brick was part of the group therapy that they did with those kids. I came across that brick in my cleaning today. It's a reminder that you should always hug your kids and tell them you love them. You never know what a day will bring!