It seems as though it was just yesterday, when I represented a grieving community in the Colorado State Legislature, attempting to make sense of a senseless act; the Columbine massacre. In just my third month in office I experienced what I pray you will never experience in your community: the random murder and wounding of dozens of children and a teacher, in what was thought to be an unthinkable place, your children’s school.

Many emotions erupted; Many questions asked. Questions that still linger and the “only if’s” continue to be posed.

Many of the websites created in memory of those killed or wounded have either disappeared or are dormant. Books have been written in an attempt to make sense or explain Columbine, or a way to heal wounds. Wounds from 20 years ago – physical, social and emotional, that to this day have yet to heal, and most likely will not. Those of us who lived through the Columbine massacre have a mark on us, one that will never go away. Columbine embodies our innermost fear, the inability to control the future, and the inability to prevent the past from happening again.

Columbine shocked the nation, and I hope more importantly, the nation’s parents into a sense of what’s important in life, and what is not. I believe parents had a change of focus after Columbine, where appreciating the blessings of their children outweighed their own ambitions, or their children’s shortfalls. A shifting perspective from “boy wait ’till they come home” to “God, please let them come home.” The difference between a child coming home to an empty house, to coming home to the warm embrace of a loving parent. I believe the day of the Columbine massacre set a world record for parents hugging their children – a day of appreciation and thankfulness.

On the other hand, I believe Columbine exposed a “be and let be” culture, to the detriment of moral absolutes. We discovered we should no longer tolerate the intolerable. That we should not have to tolerate evil when we see it, but to confront and stop it. Thankfully, several Columbine copycat attempts have been thwarted due to this shift of philosophy, but there is more we have to do.

We know the lives lost and wounded at Columbine were not in vain. Columbine was a watershed moment that was the catalyst for several changes in how we ensure safety in our schools. But unfortunately, we learned from the Parkland massacre last year that many things learned from Columbine, even today after 20 years, still need to be addressed, such as passive and hardened security measures for school buildings. We spend millions on fire safety at our schools, but a fraction of that on school building security.

I want to shift to the Columbine license plate that is in circulation, which I advocated for with Columbine parents to commemorate the Columbine massacre. It is by far the most popular specialty plate in Colorado. You probably have seen it. The license plate has a depiction of a columbine flower in the middle of the plate with the words “respect life” across the bottom.

The Columbine flower is a robust flower. One that has a high resistance to insect infestation and disease. A flower that possesses a high nectar content. A nectar hummingbirds and bees love to seek to help sustain the natural beauty of our Colorado landscape. And just as the Columbine flower has a high resistance to things that would attempt to harm it, Columbine High School has shown a resistance to an infestation of evil 20 years ago.

As we commemorate the 20th anniversary of the Columbine massacre, let us not forget the lessons learned. As we well know, those who fail to learn from history are doomed to repeat it. Let’s not doom ourselves to another Columbine. Do me a favor, ensure your schools are adequately addressing school security, and, most importantly, give your child or loved one a big hug to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the Columbine massacre, and say a prayer for those who are still suffering its lingering effects.

Don Lee is a former member of the Colorado state House who represented the Columbine and Ken Caryl community 1999-2005. All three of his children attended Columbine High School at the time of the Columbine massacre.