Katie Couric speaks to Sandy Hook community

(WTNH) -- Katie Couric aired a special edition of her syndicated talk show Monday, talking to those touched directly by the tragedy about the grieving process and the difficult task of trying to move forward.

Couric has traveled to Newtown twice since 26 lives, including those 20 innocent children, were killed at Sandy Hook Elementary school nearly three months ago.

She talked to family members who continue to re-live the nightmarish events of December 14th.

In an emotional broadcast from town hall in Newtown with members of the audience at times wiping tears from their eyes, Couric spoke to those who lost loved ones at Sandy Hook.

Bill Sherlach lost his wife of 36 years, Mary, on that terrible day, and she remains never far from his mind. 

"In a lot of little ways in the course of a day, it could be a song on the radio and you hit the button real quick or a reaction to something saying I wonder what Mary's going to think about this," said Sherlach.

Couric first went to Newtown the day after the shootings.

On Monday, News 8's Keith Kountz asked Couric why it was so important for her to bring the show back to the community, almost three months later.

"We didn't want to forget this story, we didn't want to forget the families, we thought it was critically important to go back to the community," Couric said.

Couric also spoke to Nicole Hockley, who lost her 6-year-old son Dylan in the tragedy.

She says making it through each day seems to be getting tougher.

"To this day, I don't totally comprehend it," Hockley said. "I still expect Dylan to come out from the next room at any time."

Members of a grassroots organization called Sandy Hook Promise were also in the audience.

They spoke of their efforts to help Newtown and the nation move forward.

"The group is really two fold, one to help the community heal and the second is to make our community safer from similar acts of violence," said Lee Shull, Sandy Hook Promise.

And people in Newtown also talked to Couric about their ongoing struggle to find a new normal in their lives.

"As one of the father's told me, people said to me I can't imagine this happening, but I want every parent in this country, I want to force them to imagine how this happened and if it had happened to them," Couric said.

The broadcast also featured victims of mass shootings in Virginia Tech and Aurora, Colorado. Both came to Newtown to counsel and support grieving family members, and speak out about their own push for tighter gun control laws.