We need to continue to support the families of the victims and the families of the perpetrators in their grief. I have already asked every United Methodist congregation in Arkansas to set aside a time of prayer for all the people of Jonesboro, especially children and families and people who work with children. Remember that the children who are the perpetrators and their families are also in deep grief. Their burdens are different, but no less real. Send cards and notes over the months that lie ahead.
Financial resources help.
Acknowledgments that those who have died are not forgotten help. Particularly in the death of a child, grief is not a brief visitor. One of the emotions closely related to grief is anger. Simple, punitive reactions may make us feel better in the short term, but they avoid the difficult, complex discussions about the respective roles of the access to firearms, entertainment industry, and the romanticizing of sex and violence endemic in our culture. In coffee cup conversations, at work, or visiting with families and friend, I encourage you to lead others toward more careful, measured, thoughtful responses.