I don’t understand. Each day, God gives us the most beautiful canvas on which to paint a new day. Each day, an opportunity to do His works. Yet over, and over again, someone paints it red.

I can’t forgive. I simply cannot forgive a man that walks into a church; sits down with brothers and sisters in Christ to share in a Bible study. And then methodically stands up, pulls out a gun, and kills nine of them. In their church. Beautiful, wonderful people trying to do what is right. And he kills them because of what? Because of the color of their skin.

I’m sick of mumbling among ourselves that parents are spending less and less time teaching their children about loving their neighbor and more time making sure they get enrolled in the Sunday soccer camp.

I’m tired of sitting in front of the television listening to our President admonish us once again for the lack of gun control. What the hell more needs to happen before we get off our lazy duffs and do something about it. We cannot go on assuming that someone else will take care of this. Why? Why won’t we wise up?

An elderly man, a member of the African Methodist Episcopal Church in South Carolina, was heard to say “I don’t want to see the day when we will have to install metal detectors at the church door.” Well, if we continue on the path we’re following, I’d say get the tool box out now!

Some days, it is so hard to keep my faith. I want to be strong. I want to understand. I want to forgive.  But I simply don’t understand how there can be so much evil in this world and how complacent we, as a society, can be.

My prayer, and yes, I’m still praying to my God — will be that parents will stop and take some time to talk to their children about this. Let their children know that this is wrong. This is not the norm. I pray that we as a nation will step forward, speak up, and do something about gun control. I pray that we will all try harder. I pray for peace.