I Know How You Feel

I know how you feel, It’s like a never ending story that goes on and on with a new headline almost everyday .It happened the other day a drive by shooting that took another life.
I am here to say I truly know how you feel I am not preaching to the choir I am the choir. I know how you feel, but your story is different from my story, and my story is different from your story, but I can empathize with you because of my personal experience. I can sympathize with you because I understand that you are hurting and sad because a family member has died to your surprise. I offer you my condolences for your loss.  When I looked at the morning news and saw a young mother crying uncontrollably because someone shot and killed her son during a drive by shooting.
It has been my experience when someone says ‘I know how you feel’, usually they don’t have a clue as to know how you feel. How can anyone know how feel if they have not  experienced  the same things? If they have not loss a son and daughter to gun violence? When unthinkable things happen that takes another person’s life the  right thing to do is to express your compassion and condolences for one another.
One statement that we must avoid saying during the times of grief and that  is ” I know how you feel.” How can you empathize or sympathize with someone when you have not had a similar experiences to draw from, like being shot or losing a child to gun violence.
This is a teaching moment for the HEY MAN NO MAN Brand. We are taking this opportunity to teach our children the proper way to express their condolences properly in situations where a friends of theirs have been gunned down and killed.
During these time of great tragedy involving the loss of life of one of our children’s close friends. We need to help our children start to heal.  Just like the parents are suffering from their loss, so are our children. They are suffering and they need to start the healing process by  paying their respect(s) especially to the mother’s and father’s. It is at this time the parents are  seriously loss, numb and in a state of shock;  unaware of what is going on around them because  their child is gone. This is when our children should respectfully express their condolences. How do they do it express condolences? They do it with their  expressions of Love and sympathy, acknowledging  that other people are suffering as well. Let’s Make sure that our children value the cost and the loss of life to another human being. When they offer their  condolences they are exhibiting traits as someone that truly cares. The proper thing for our children to do is offer their condolences to the parents, and maybe few encouraging words and keep moving on.