I'm scared.

I’m scared for my daughters.

I’m scared because recently we have been voraciously bombarded with so much hate, so much fear, so much violence.

In my state, alone, in the past three days, alone, we’ve had a search end for a 9 year-old taken from her home, a mass shooting where more than fifty innocent people were shot in cold blood, and a family on a dream vacation horrifically lose their 2 year-old little boy.

My heart hurts so badly.

I have OCD, so most of me only knows fear. Much of the time, I can counter my fears with logic, but when events like this come up, so horrible and so close together, what do I do?How do I allay my fears and help my children know that they need not be afraid?

Yes, I know these are not things that happen every day. Yes, I know that we hear more and more about each and every happening because we have news outlets on the television, the radio, and social media - practically everywhere we look. And, yes, I know we simply can not live our lives in fear, for THAT is not living.

All I know to do for sure is enjoy each day, each person, a little more. Hug and kiss my kids more often and make sure they absolutely 100 zillion percent know that they are loved for JUST BEING THEM.

Remind them to do the same. To reach out, to be kind, to notice the little things. To enjoy, to laugh, to smile. To share, to feel free, to cherish. To love.

I can not, WILL not, let fear take over their lives. I know what that is like, it's hell. And they deserve better.

So I will reassure them that violence and rare occurrences are not the norm. That hate is evil. And that love wins. Always.

Because the only alternative to living in fear is to FULLY LIVE.