Find common ground

I’ve never written a letter to the editor before, but my heart is full and I must. I read that the 15-year-old boy who was shot Monday at Watson Chapel Junior High has died. I pray for his soul and I pray for his grieving parents. I pray in particular for his 15-year-old accused killer that he realizes what he’s done, feels remorse, and asks for forgiveness.

I don’t understand what’s happening to God’s people when kids kill other kids, why guns are so easy to get, and why disagreements can’t be settled amicably. We know how to speak; we have language; we understand words, so why not use them to find common ground instead of going to find a loaded pistol and getting rid of an adversary so quickly?

And what good does that do? Two young boys are now denied a life that could have been used for good: They could have been teachers, doctors and nurses, community leaders, priests and pastors, and above all, good fathers. These boys should have been playing basketball or football, telling jokes, and flirting with girls, not killing each other.

I think of my grandkids and great-grandkids and hope that they will never suffer like this, to have their futures shattered in a single moment of anger and revenge. I’m certain that the killer did not fully understand what he did and did not think about the consequences before pulling that trigger. As an elderly person, I’ve long understood the benefits of pausing and thinking before acting. Oh, what heartache! May God help us all. M.A. STAFFORD Maumelle