UVALDE, Texas — There are almost a dozen memorials around Uvalde to the 21 victims, but the one that seems to be the most difficult for mourners to bear is set up outside a daycare center.
It's a simple line of empty chairs with toys, roses, ribbons, and rosaries. An empty chair for each of the 21 lives lost in the shooting at Robb Elementary, 19 of them fourth-grade children. Funeral services are beginning this week in the small town, filled with grief.
“You love being kind and caring," one mother said to her young daughter. "We wanted to make our stop and pay our respects to all the children."
People came from all across Texas to leave flowers and remember those who were lost in the shooting.
“I am from Corpus Christi Texas," said another visitor, who wanted to remember each of the lives lost. "I mean these children. They are just children, they don’t deserve to die."
“ I work with kids in my church and this resolves me to love on kids, especially with regard to mental health issues, just to be a safe space for them,” said another.
“It breaks my heart that these children had to go what they went through because they don’t want to make tougher laws on guns,” said another visitor.
On a holiday meant to honor those who gave their lives in service, many people said they just had to come here for the little ones - children who never chose to make that sacrifice.