Our headquarters in Bartow is about 65 miles from the recent slaughter in the night club killing 49 people.

 It’s the kind of news that’s staggering wherever you are. But, having it happen in your backyard adds dimension to it.

 The social network and the newscasters dominate the airways. You hear all sorts of perspectives. Guns, terrorism, discrimination, religion. You name it, it’s being discussed and debated.

One of the best things I heard came from Frank Langella, who won a Tony for his performance in a play on Broadway Sunday night hours after the massacre.

He said: “When something bad happens, we have three choices: we let it define us, we let it destroy us or we let it strengthen us.”

We aren’t a nation of killers. We are a nation which stands up for the downtrodden. That event doesn’t define us.

We can’t let it be a force that divides us and destroys us. One guy hurt a hundred. Thousands jumped into action to get the injured care and to comfort the mourners. That’s our definition.

It is incumbent upon each of us to find ways to get stronger. As individuals and communities.