Hand made memorial to the children of Sand Hook, down by city hall, streaked with Nemo Snow. Walking around the morning after the blizzard named after a popular children’s animated movie, thinking about how Newtown got about 2.5 feet of snowfall and these kids were not able to play in the snow the day after. This sign survived the winter weeks, a classroom project that like all classroom project, served as a teaching moment. We live in a world where children must be introduced to the concept of the murder of other children as early as possible.
Then later in the day, in Hamilton Park, snow men. Afternoon by now, the snow played in and children still playing. The lead up to the storm was one of dread. Happening on a Friday, the news reports were relentless, schools and work places closed early and everyone spent the night hunkering down. By the next day, everyone wanted out to explore and play. Haven’t had a blizzard like this in a year or two. The Nor-easter had a wide radius and New England was hit harder than Jersey City. The weather event linked us all, again and as always. Sandy has put us all on perpetual climate change havoc preparation.
Winter has its own beauty. We wake up and school’s closed and our landscape is suddenly lunar. We build a snow man in the park with our parents. The parents still thinking about the Newton shooting, alongside the dozens of other worries one has bringing children into this world, being an adult, negotiating with and navigating though our responsibly labyrinths. Debates in congress about gun control; politics and the translation of those ideas into legislation. Our children no longer remembering that memorial poster they made sometime between Sandy and Christmas. They didn’t see the report on what Biden said or the NRA testimony. They are here in the snow and we are here with them. Let’s make your own Frosty. These snowmen were just another reason why Newton matters, as much a memorial as the solidarity poster by City Hall.
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