Monday Mourning..

This weekend my hometown of Lexington, KY saw another young teen victim of senseless gun violence. My heart is definitely in "mourning" this Monday morning.. Torn between wallowing in that sadness and being motivated to do more within my community. It's definitely a balance in how we move forward after such tragedies.. We can't desensitize ourselves to the senseless violence going on around us but we also can't make it about us & lose sight of the reality. Often times we see non family members & close associates try & enhance their connection to the deceased to draw attention to themselves.. Pay homage from a far (if you weren't close to the victim), pay your respects, and then use your grief to get to work on making sure it doesn't happen again! I've lost many friends, associates, & ex-classmates to gun violence over the years but i found myself becoming almost numb to it.. Tweeting "RIP" like a rap lyric or something.... It almost became a fad to post on my dead friend's Facebook wall about how much I will miss them only to carry on with life unmoved until it happened again to someone else I knew. God gives us all unique gifts or opportunities.. It's up to us to use those to make our families, communities, & world BETTER! We don't need a million Shaun King's & Deray's (who I love btw).. We just need a million individuals using their unique gifts & resources to uplift our communities.. Couldn't even imagine having to bury one of my children..... smh. Sheesh. Don't allow these young deaths to become nothing more than a one day social media memorial. After your grieving process is over, turn the pain and anger, and sadness into ACTION! I send my condolences to Jamaal Gossett and his family and loved ones. I will continue praying for you. It takes a village to raise our children. Let's come together.