Mayberry it isn't.

Sometimes I wonder if bringing a child into this world is a completely selfish act. Like is it just something that we do because we think we're supposed to? Or because we need the title of "Mom" or "Dad" to complete us?

My child is one of the best things that has ever happened to me. By far. But it terrifies me to let her out into this world that I brought her into.

A world where she can no longer ride her bike down to a friends house. A world where her classroom is not safe. A world where fifth graders know what sex is and are probably having it.

Will she even get to have a childhood?

Every day I turn on the tv, or the computer, or heck, even Twitter, I'm blasted by breaking news of shootings, robberies, abductions, and political mess. The world is in turmoil and it terrifies me to think of my little one trying to navigate her way in it.

Baby sitters practically need background checks. School shooting are on the rise. And then there's this.

I try to be a person who genuinely thinks there is good in every person. But with my child around, I have a hard time doing that anymore. I am so cautious for her.

And that's not even fair to her.

When I was growing up, I ran away once. I ran all the way to the other end of the street where I hid in my best friend Nick's mom's closet. After what felt like forever (but in reality was probably a half hour), my Mom came and found me. She was calm and collected as she brought me back home and explained why running away was not a good idea.

Then she probably cut my butt, but that's neither here nor there.

My point is this; my mother's first thought was not that I'd been abducted. She wasn't worried that I'd been raped or murdered. She had found out where I was with one quick phone call (which I hadn't known about) and then she'd come and gotten me after we'd had some time to calm down.

That would never happen now a days.

A few weeks ago my friend Jenn's two year old unlocked the front door and walked the .2 miles down the road to her grandparents house.

In the ten minutes it took to find her, Jenn pictured a number of different scenarios that happened to her child. She was in a flat panic. Fortunately all was fine and mother and daughter were soon reunited.

Quite a different picture from me running away twenty years ago.

Every night I pray for my child. I pray that she's safe and taken care of and that most importantly, she gives her life to God at an early age. Because her Dad and I did bring her into a scary, scary world. We will do everything in our power to keep her safe, but we can only do so much.

We no longer live in Mayberry folks.

I beg of you to pray for your children. To be involved in their lives. Talk to them. Question them daily about what they're doing and who they're doing it with. Love them. They should always know that their parents have their backs.

My little one and her entire generation have a tough road ahead of them.

Pray for those affected by the shooting today. Pray for our country.

in an instant.

I've been out of Savannah one day.

Back when I was in college, I had an awesome job at a huge retailer. What was odd about this store, was that it felt more like "family" than a job. My associates were amazing, my bosses rocked, and our store manager was awesome. I had a blast.

I worked there for three years, until I got married and moved to SC to be with Mr. Perfect.

Today I found out that my former store manager was killed on his way to work.

There's a lot of things that have happened recently, and oddly enough they involved this man, but today is not a day to dwell on those issues.

Today is a day that two teenage girls lost their father. A day that a wife lost her partner and best friend. That an older couple lost their son.

Today is just a sad day.

It honestly saddens me anytime that I hear of this sort of tragedy. I believe this man was a good man. Today is a day that a good man left behind his family.

So today is a day that I kiss and hug on my daughter more than she would like. Today is a day that I thank God for this time with my husband.

Because we are not promised tomorrow. It can be gone in an instant.