Gizmo Shares a Sandy Hook Message - Take II

Gizmo recently took off his Patch blogging cap and put on his therapy dog vest to lend support, even in a small way, to people in Sandy Hook, CT.

As we were standing in front of one of the shops near the fire station, a shop owner quietly came out, smiled at me, gave Gizmo a kiss and a pat on the head, and then hung a note on her shop window. I think it’s an important message, right from the heart. I asked her if I could share it with all of you, and she asked me if I please would. So here it is:

“We’re all busy. We all have schedules and agendas jam-packed with various things to do. Our days, weeks, months and years are filled with appointments, classes, paperwork, phone calls, deadlines and parties.

Sometimes we find ourselves so busy that we forget to say goodbye to our loved ones before we leave for work in the morning. Sometimes we forget to take a few minutes out of our day to send a friend a birthday text, or give some affection to our dog.

However, whenever we are directly confronted with a tragedy of this magnitude so close to home, it makes us stop dead in our tracks. We automatically call our friends and family, reach out, give a hug and kiss, and tell someone we love them.

Why must a crisis have to occur to remind us what is truly important in life? Why do we have to be shaken up, jerked alert to realize what really matters? I’m sure that all the parents, siblings, relatives and friends wish they had said the words “I love you” just one more time to the sweet child they lost today.

If there’s anything we can learn from the shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary, it’s that we ALL need to slow down, simplify our lives, and take the time to appreciate our loved ones each and every moment. Life is short; fragile. If we don’t do it now, we may never get another chance.” --A Sandy Hook Store Owner

Let’s be kind to each other. Love one another. You never know when a small gesture might make a huge difference in someone’s life.

Signed, Gizmo’s handler

Note: This blog has been revised out of respect to readers who are not familiar with Gizmo and what he does. We are all grieving during this unspeakably difficult time. Let us continue to send love and prayers for the people of Sandy Hook and for each other.