Let Your Light So Shine

One of the little angels killed in last Friday's awful shooting in Newtown, CT, was 6-year old Emilie Parker. To the left is her picture.

She was an artist who always carried around her crayons and paper, just in case there was some artistic inspiration that hit her. She had two younger sisters, and from what I heard her grief-stricken father say, they always turned to her for comfort. Her dad was teaching her Portuguese and one of the last things she said to him was, "Eu te amo", which means, I love you. She and her family moved from Ogden, UT to CT less than a year ago when her dad accepted a new job. They're going to take her body back to UT for burial.

There are a lot of other stories about these beautiful children. One could write a book about the heroes who tried to save them. I weep for them. I literally weep when I read about them or hear a story on the television about them.

I also hear of those who have dropped everything to go to CT to be with these suffering people. I heard last night about "comfort dogs" who were taken to Newtown so that grieving families could pet them and hug them. I heard about three people who drove 1000 miles just to give hugs to the survivors.

I also watched as the good people of this country came together to support those who lost loved ones in the shooting in CO some time ago. I have watched members of my own ward and stake go to New Jersey and New York to help those who lost so much to Hurricane Sandy. My heart has been warmed as I watched the nation band and rally together to give aid, comfort, money, time and effort to those in need.

I've even read stories about how NFL players this past weekend wrote the names of the CT victims on their shoes, and how the normally stringent uniform police of the NFL have looked the other way. Yes, there is a lot of good in this world, if you watch for it.

But now it's time to stop watching. The time has come to put the doctrine of Christ to the test, to put my beliefs to action. How can I help these families? How can I be more like the Savior and show Him how much I love Him? By doing something!

I don't propose driving all the way to CT, but I do propose donating to some of these causes and by being active in my own community. For instance, Emilie's parents are going to take her back to UT for burial this week. They are short on money to do so. A fund has been started in her name on Facebook to which I can donate. It's called the Emilie Parker Fund and is located here.

And there are others. Some of them are:

• Dawn Lafferty Hochsprung Memorial Fund, CT Teachers Credit Union, P.O. Box 2121, Waterbury, Conn. 06722
• Friends of the Engel Family Fund
• Noah's Ark of Hope Fund
• If you really do want to drive to CT and volunteer, you can call (800) 203-1234. That number will get you in touch with someone who can help.
• Sandy Hook School Support Fund, c/o Newtown Savings Bank, 39 Main St., Newtown, Conn. 06470.
• Newtown Memorial Fund, P.O. Box 596, Botsford, Conn. 06404

There are others, too I'm sure, but the point is this: it's time to let our light so shine, to put the Spirit of Christ and Christmas to action. Let your influence be felt in this world. After all, it's our responsibility to leave this world a better place than it was when we got here!

Emilie sure did.

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