Nurturing Healing Love
In the wake of unimaginable tragedy, Scarlett Lewis discovered three powerful words written in chalk by her six-year-old son Jesse: “Nurturing Healing Love.” Jesse, who adored rubber ducks and toy soldiers, was one of the 20 children murdered during the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting in Newtown, Connecticut on December 14, 2012. Those three words became a guiding light for his mother, who transformed her grief into action.
Journalist Tracie Mauriello visited Newtown on the day of the shooting, then returned a year later to document the community's resilience. Through her lens, we witness how Scarlett chose to channel pain into compassion, creating the Choose Love movement, a social-emotional learning initiative that helps students and teachers manage emotions, build healthy relationships, and feel connected.
Ten years after the tragedy, Nurturing Healing Love was performed by carillonists worldwide in remembrance. It became both a tribute and a call to action for healing through music, emotional education, and collective compassion.
A child’s message,
a global movement
Before his life was stolen, Jesse Lewis left behind a message that would ripple across the world. “Nurturing Healing Love” became more than words, it became a musical composition, a global memorial, and the heartbeat of a movement that now reaches thousands of schools.
In December 2022, on the tenth anniversary of the Sandy Hook shooting, composer Pamela Ruiter-Feenstra invited carillonists worldwide to perform Nurturing Healing Love in memory of Jesse and all the victims. The world premiere took place at Lurie Tower at the University of Michigan, where bells rang out in remembrance and resilience.
This performance honors not just loss, but the legacy of empathy, connection, and the transformative power of grief turned into purpose. From classrooms to carillons, Jesse’s words continue to inspire healing and unity.
