plaque in NewtownGene Rosen, a neighbor who lives near Sandy Hook Elementary school, had just fed his cats and was leaving his house to head to a local diner when he saw 6 small children sitting in a semi-circle at the end of his driveway. A school bus driver was consoling them. These were six of Mrs. Soto’s students who had run past the gunman, Adam Lanza, and escaped -- but not before witnessing one of the most horrific massacres of our time.

Rosen, a retired psychologist, took the children into his home and gave them stuffed animals, listened to their stories, consoled them and called their parents to let them know that their children were spared on that grizzly morning in Connecticut.

It seems like a little thing to do the right thing; to see a deficit and provide for it. His small kindness may have altered those children’s lives for the better. Gene Rosen is a hero.

As a mother, if it were my child, I would be forever indebted to Mr. Rosen for giving my child shelter and taking her into his home and calming her down when I could not be there.

The parents of every child at Sandy Hook elementary school was out of their mind with worry and grief last Friday. The sheer terror they must have felt when they didn't know if their child was alive or dead must have been overwhelming. The waiting must have been torturous.

How grateful I would have been to Mr. Rosen for calling me and giving me the peace of mind of knowing that my child was safe, when so many were not. It seems like it was the right thing to do but how many people would have just carried on and called the police. Instead he stayed with the children. He called their parents.

He answered the door and delivered these brave and terrified children back into the loving arms of their parents.


Image via Dougtone/Flickr