Friday, April 20, 2007

Coping


My coworkers and I will gather today at noon for a moment of silence in a service of remembrance. Our governor has declared today a statewide day of mourning for the victims of the senseless Virginia Tech murders. Splashes of orange and maroon catch my attention as employees pass my office door in the course of their daily work.

Those of us who did not have any VT attire have pinned on orange and maroon ribbons, showing our sadness for those lost and our support for those left behind. There's actually been an alumni-led declaration of a national "Orange and Maroon Effect" day slated for today; they're calling it "Hokie Hope". This is how we cope.

We were shocked by the initial reports, horrified by the day's developments, and dismayed that the media made a celebrity of a sick, murderous man. I've stopped watching the news. I quickly scan headlines on the internet, but I can't bear to see those photographs again.

Time, thankfully, heals.

Wednesday, April 18, 2007

Hang Tough, Hokies

Candlelight service at Virginia Tech April 17, 2007
Photo from http://www.hokiesports.com

Monday morning the unimaginable happened. The tranquility of Virginia Tech's beautiful campus was ripped apart by gunfire. The murderer's name will not be mentioned in this blog entry. If notoriety was his goal, I will not contribute to attainment of that goal.

As for the parents, friends and families who have lost loved ones in this unspeakable tragedy, I can only offer my deepest sympathy.

I have that same empty, heartsick feeling I had while watching the World Trade Center collapse on television that bright, beautiful September morning in 2001. I wish there was something I could do that would help.