It’s another morning to be alive. I’m thankful, no doubt. The thoughts of the last few days remain very blurry to me.
I’m sure it is so for the family of the victims too. The fogginess will remain longer in their thoughts than I can even imagine.
I’m so impressed with the maturity of the young girls who were friends and acquaintances with Laile, who’s life was wrongly taken in the incident.
Their thoughts are uplifting, despite feeling quite down about all of this themselves. The thoughts about the joy of their friendship, the bridesmaid she was to be at the end of this month, the daughter she was to her parents and the translator she also was to them, the future student she aimed to be, and all of the stories yet to be told about the lives she would touch. Their dear friend lost her way-too young life and her family who must go on. Just like they and their families will need to do, too.
One of them posted,
“I’ve spent the last day trying to figure out what to say. What to say about my dear friend and this horrible, unimaginable tragedy. Right now I just don’t have the words.
I do know that if Laile were here she would be working her butt off to make sure her family was taken care of. I think the best way to honor her right now is to support them. Please donate to the Go Fund Me page below.
And my daughter said to me this week…
“It’s both extremely difficult and ultimately comforting that the world keeps on turning.”
Last night, in an effort to find something to hold onto that wasn’t horrible to think about, my friend and I went to a local outdoor concert at the River Prairie Park in Altoona, WI. Fresh air and music floating across the summer night do the heart good.
The night was beautiful, and the crowd was plentiful. A family-friendly event – the positive vibes from the crowd hit me. I began tiny slivers of a revival in my thinking thoughts that ‘people are okay, we can and will be okay.’
During the break for the band, a neighbor who lives next to the family of the young girl spoke to the crowd about the tragedy in Chippewa Falls and the community who has stepped up to help the survivors.
The band who was there for free passed around buckets to accept donations for their performance and told the crowd they were donating 25% to the family. The buckets overflowed with generous offerings.
A heartwarming way to show our community will keep turning.
Post Inspiration – Slivers of healing thoughts and Susannah Conway’s #AugustBreak2019 – Morning Light.
PS – Isn’t that a cool thing the band did!? Thank you for your overwhelming kindness in comments about yesterday’s post. Your support in prayers, thoughts, and cyber hugs help more than words can say!
It is so scary and sorrow-inducing, news like this, which seems more frequent these days. We were just talking at a bible study I go to, yesterday, about how we respond when people ask “How can God let these things happen?” Part of the answer is free will, I think. He lets us humans be just as terrible as we choose. And part of it is that we are part of a bigger plan that we can’t even fathom with our little human brains. I have a hard time accepting that someone’s death is part of a plan for the betterment of a community, but that is what we see after these tragedies–families, friends and communities bonding together. So so sad. Sorry for the loss your communities must be feeling up there in WI!
I appreciate you sharing your thoughts. I agree, it is all so hard for our little human brains to comprehend how to carry on despite pain we feel and embrace and rejoice in the comfort of support. All the while we’re also still trying to process how a warped brain can execute such horror. Your words of hope help, Rebecca, thank you so much for sharing. xx
I’ve struggled after each and every one of these shootings and honestly can’t even imagine what it would be like to live where it happens. I consider these people my own but I know it’s not the same as being there. Keep writing your way through it — we’re all here for you. 💛
Me too, Laura, I have friends who lived through the horror of the Las Vegas shootings, and I cry each time I hear news of other areas. It is just so wrong, and I feel helpless. I appreciate your encouragement to write my way through it – xx
There are no words, yet you express the sorrow of a community so eloquently. There is no path to understanding when an even is so unimaginable. My heart goes out to you and your community and to the family who has suffered something you never come back from.
Thank you, Maggie – your words of encouragement touch me. xx
Wonderful of the band to give some of the proceeds to the family. It is good for the whole community to come together after something like this. Makes us all a bit stronger.
So much time is needed to even begin to heal from tragedies such as this one. Coming together to share music – with a band as generous as this one! – helps. I hope. Beautiful post.
Thank you, the positive vibes did help, and fresh air and a change of scenery helped too. Those moments give me hope. xx
So hard to make sense of any of it. I think being among others in your community, especially with a generous group doing donations, is a good step toward healing. It just seems like any of us could be in this situation now. Sad.
I agree. It’s sad and wonderful at the same time that horrible things bring us closer as a community. I’m shocked at how ‘common’ this type of thing has become, or maybe I was oblivious until now? Sad, is right.
On Monday of this week, the area churches had a meeting at our church with the police chief to discuss anything we could do to the increased violence and just to understand what all they were doing. During the meeting, two b;locks from the church, mid-day, there was a shooting that injured two people putting one in jail. Three lives effected forever. Such a waste. Anger, greed and jealousy- the culprits for this particular altercation.
Oh, no! That’s horrible! It is sad for me to have to report that yesterday, here in our town once again, there was another shooting – there was a threat of some kind and the SWAT team from the neighboring community was called in and a person was shot. I agree, such a waste.
We just have to remember whose world this is and THIS IS NOT OUR HOME.
🙂
It’s so scary and you wrote this before the horrific events this past weekend. I heard the one account of the Dayton shooting – I pray this man will be okay going forward. He witnessed a shooting in cold blood. He turned to run and was running so quickly his keys and phone fell out of his short pocket(s) He heard more shooting and crouched down – another body near by and then a police officer shot the shooter right next to him. This man will never be the same. Today our Michigan State Police urged us to be mindful of all exits and entrances in each building or venue we will be in the future and remember to run, hide or fight. I’m not only sad but horrified.
I know – it is scary. I heard that news, so incredibly horrifying. Last Friday, we had another shooting, a threat from a convicted felon, the swat team was called in and an officer shot the felon. We’re feeling quite scared here in our town, too. I keep sending positive thoughts your way to keep you safe when you walk out and about.
I hate hearing all these things Shelley and thanks for the positive thoughts. Every time I turn on the news, whether it is local or national, if it is not something horrifying, it is something very stupid. Today on the news they mentioned the Garlic Festival shooting – you know what … I had totally forgotten about that and it was just the weekend before. My concern is the guy in Texas and what he did long before last Saturday night – people thought he was strange in high school, from his intentions as to the girls who rebuffed him, or boys who would not be friends with him. Should that not have triggered people to say something then? Here in Michigan today, the Michigan State Police had an announcement on the radio to say “while we appreciate your concerns and your contacting us after we put out the plea ‘if you see something – say something’ but everyone you see or read about on social media, is not necessarily going to wreak havoc like these two latest mass murders’.” So essentially now you DON’T say something? Today I took the car to the Park because it was really hot and I thought if it was too warm I’d just leave and walk at Meijer – but there was a breeze, however, not only was there a breeze, but when I pulled into the parking lot there were two of Lincoln Park’s finest in two police vehicles. So what was up with that? I said “good morning” as each one had their windows open but I wanted to say “hey, what up – should I go home?” They didn’t dissuade me from going on a walk and they pulled away shortly thereafter. But it made me a little leery. I know about people being weird – in the late 90s I had a guy on the bus acting stupid, sending notes to work – it is a long story, but I didn’t feel safe and spoke with a woman attorney who urged me to get a PPO. He was married to a woman I knew (from the bus) for years. They recently married. I got the PPO and he had to take another bus and never bothered me again with his postcard, letters and floppy disks that he sent with letters professing love for me. However a few years later, he killed his wife, and then himself – it made the news. Before he killed himself, he called the police and said he would leave the door open so they could come and get their cat to find a home for it and then killed himself (like his wife – bullet wound to the head). I felt sick – beyond sick when I found out. You stay safe as well Shelley.
Oh, my, I know…it is hard to decipher what a normal thinking person should do? Run and hide or live our life to the fullest and run like hell when danger lurks around us. If we see it coming that is. Thank you for sharing your story – I’m glad you were able to get away from that guy. Stay safe – xx
Thank you Shelley.