This Mother’s Day, please pause to honor these women:
Maria Castillo
Natalie Henry-Howell
Hannah Kaye
Maria’s son Riley was shot three times and killed while stopping a mass shooting at UNC Charlotte. She buried him last Monday.
The day after his funeral, a senior walked into Ms. Harper’s English class at STEM School Highlands Ranch. The class was watching the movie “The Princess Bride”. My family was going to watch that movie together two weeks ago.
“Don’t you move,” said their classmate was he brandished a handgun. Maria’s son Kendrick, due to graduate high school this month, lunged at the gunman and was shot dead. His actions allowed some of his classmates to help attack the gunman. One of them, Joshua Jones, was shot twice. Although Joshua and eight other people were shot in this attack, Kendrick was the only person who died.
Maria will be likely be sitting up front at Cherry Hill Community Church on Wednesday at a Celebration of Kendrick’s life. But first she has to get through Mother’s Day without her 18-year-old son.
UCLA student Hannah Kaye will undoubtedly reflect on her recently deceased mother, Lori. Hannah eulogized her mother only twelve days ago in Poway, California, at the synagogue where Lori jumped between a gunman and the temple’s rabbi.
Lori knew that plenty of children were nearby on the last day of Passover because she had checked on them before the gunman began shooting.
The world doesn’t stop because Maria, Natalie, and Hannah are grieving. This is Mother’s Day. We’ll honor the mothers who are here and the mothers who have passed away, the mothers who gave birth to children and the mothers-at-heart who never had the opportunity.
This seems like a perfect to suggest that all mothers love their children and would be honored by your commitment to make it more difficult for people to commit mass shootings. My friend Shaun authored a guide to 30 different actions you can take. Do one that you’re most comfortable with. Do three one each for Maria, Natalie, Hannah.
Do something.