Grappling with tragedy; finding comfort in Mr. Rogers' wisdom

Heartbreaking. Mind numbing. Senseless. Those are just a few of the words that come to mind as I think about the 20 little kids and six adults who were shot dead today at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Connecticut.

Incomprehensible. I really, truly can't wrap my own mind around the tragedy, the nation's second-deadliest school shooting.

And as I hugged my own grade schooler this afternoon when the school day was over, I wondered how I was ever going to explain this to her. We stayed away from the news today. She is blissfully unaware. But I know it's only a matter of time before she sees the headlines or hears about it from a friend.

If I can't understand it, how can she?

Then I was reminded of the immortal words of Fred Rogers, who broached the topic of tragic events in the news in his book “The Mister Rogers Parenting Book," the last book he worked on before his death in 2003. In fact, his own mother's words helped him make some sense of tragic events.

"When I was a boy and I would see scary things in the news, my mother would say to me, 'Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping,'" he wrote. "To this day, especially in times of 'disaster,' I remember my mother's words and I am always comforted by realizing that there are still so many helpers – so many caring people in this world."

So I'll leave you tonight with more wisdom from Mr. Rogers:

My thoughts and prayers are with those families in Connecticut.