BYESVILLE, Ohio — Buddy Lawrenson is a retired counselor who lives in Byesville, Ohio.
At one point in his career, he worked in Jonesboro, Arkansas where a deadly middle school shooting happened in 1998. He served as a counselor, helping family members who lost someone in that shooting.
He said it was intense and exhausting and their stories still affect him today.
“There's nothing you can say, words that will take any of this away you just listen,” he said.
When he heard of the elementary school shooting in Texas, the first thing that came to his mind: the horror.
“I was talking with some people this morning and they say 'why why why.' And I try to tell people don't get hung up on why,” he said. “You'll never find the reason. And if you do it won't satisfy you.”
He says we cannot allow this to become the norm. And making a change starts at home.
“I'll never forget this huge high school football player in tears. He said, ‘when I went home yesterday it's the first time my parents ever hugged me and said that they loved me,’” he said. “It's a great time for families to reunite.”
Dr. Ariana Hoet, a pediatric psychologist from Nationwide Children's hospital echoes the need for families to talk about this -- and she offers her advice.
"It is important for parents to be proactive and start the conversation,” she said. “Don't wait for the child to be the one to bring it up. So asking a question, an open-ended question as simple as 'Have you heard about what happened in Texas? What are you thinking? How are you feeling? Do you have any questions?'”
For Buddy Lawrenson, there's one more thing he'll never forget - more than 20 years later.
“When I saw in Arkansas families cling together like they had never clung before I thought ‘we have a chance.’ We're reminded of the good things in life,” he said.
We asked, “to see this happen again, and again, and again, more than 20 years later, how does that make you feel?”
His response: “there's still a chance.”