DINA HALL

[Fri. Dec. 14] twenty children aged 6 or 7 and six adults were killed in the slaughter at the Sandy Hook Elementary school in Newtown, Connecticut. Two more adults also died – the mother of the 20-year-old gunman and the gunman himself, who authorities said shot himself as police responding to reports of gunfire converged on the school.    – The Morning Call

Also, on Friday Dec. 14, I was opening for Cheryl Wheeler at Sellersville Theater, Sellersville, Pa.

It’s hard to be an entertainer when tragedy strikes. It’s important to remember that by doing what we do we nurture peace and goodness in those around us. You are not an audience, you are a group of like-minded people gathered in one place to share good feelings. Before the show this past Friday night, and with a very heavy heart, I considered how I could change my set list in order to make some kind of statement. I quickly realized that it was the wrong thing to do. The little voice in my head said, “Just do what you do, and do it well. Be a voice of peace and calm and goodness.” And so that’s what I did. Thanks to Moe Jerant for sharing those 25 minutes of calm with me. Thanks to Cheryl Wheeler for reminding me that laughter is great medicine. None of this erases the tragedy, and it certainly doesn’t take away the pain or sadness that we still feel, but it helps us move closer to a better place, as a group of like-minded people.