We have awoken to the unbelievable headlines and horrifying images on the news - images that stick with us forever.
It has been a heartbreaking year of natural and physical disasters.
For the people - countless people - who were personally impacted, we have no comparison to the scars of those days. From victims and their families and friends, to first responders, to those who were spared the physical hurt, but not the experience they can never un-live.
I've spent much of the time since the Las Vegas mass shooting lost in thought for the thousands and thousands of people who will never get to live their lives the same again. People who had absolutely no choice but to be forever changed.
We can be there for those people to the extent we can, but perhaps the best way to honor the life-changing impact those individuals have gone through ... is to change ourselves. To make a conscious effort to be inspired by the incredibly selfless acts of individuals who have gone through more than any of us can imagine.
During the recent hurricanes and floods, people put their own well-being aside to help others. In Las Vegas, amid active gunfire, people took the hands of people they didn't know and tried to get them to safety. So, in our daily lives, who are we not to follow the actions of these brave and incredible people?
Who am I then to not let someone over in traffic just because I didn't leave for work early enough? Who am I then to not give those closest to me a break when they have had a hard day and are cranky with me?
Who am I then to not help a stranger whenever I am able - to give of my time and talent through volunteering, and to donate to groups relying on outside support?
Who am I then to not smile at people on the street?
Who am I then to not try to be the best version of myself each day?
We will continue to mourn and to show our support, but perhaps the biggest ongoing impact we can have is to also remember the power we have to make this world a better place, each day. We have the personal power to change, and to make changes that honor the people who have no choice but to be changed by these tragedies.
Perhaps we make this not only a day when everything changed, but a day when we ourselves decided to change.
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