Today's news is a horror story. Unbelievable. Pent-up rage delivered upon the innocent in a one-room schoolhouse and yet, the killings in Pennsylvania are only part of the story in the last few weeks of anger and violence in American Schools. Obviously, the problems in American society are unfathomable and immense. We all take some comfort in our own isolation from such things. Pennsylvania is a long ways from Arkansas, right? But if such things can happen in an Amish one-room schoolhouse, where can anyone feel safe?

As a small experiment, please take your right hand and run your fingers lightly across the keyboard or across the fabric of your clothes. You will get an immediate grasp of the sensing power of your fingers and hands. Now hold your hand in front of you and examine it. What you see before you is the incredible creative power of humanity. It makes music, writes in cursive, writes poetry, and crafts beautiful objects that can tell the story of loving involvement in human life for generations to come.

Now, one by one, roll each finger in toward the palm. When they touch, clench them tight and roll your thumb across over the tips. This is what you get when you neglect and ignore the sensing and creative power of the human hand. We've been doing this for generations, attempting to solve problems through the deployment of clenched senseless objects.

It is a very sad day. I know it seems grossly opportunistic to make a point about the need for crafts and the arts in schools from the tragic circumstances of yesterday's events. Forgive me, but the cause is real and we live with choices we have made. Is your hand still tight in a fist? Let it loose now and do something creative with your day.