VT Tragedy

i’ve been gripped this morning as more details are coming out regarding the events yesterday in blacksburg…while i heard about this story yesterday as it was developing i frankly couldn’t bring myself to engage the story because i knew it was going to end up being tragic and full of grief. this morning, as i’ve flipped through the various morning shows, i’ve seen the human face that this story is about. i’ve watched as an older brother and VT alum struggled to explain what he was feeling because his freshman sister was one of the victims of this tragedy…i watched as he explained how just a couple days ago he watched her in a dance recital, told her “good job”, left to go home…and never got to say goodbye. i watched as one of the injured victims described how he and a few other guys barricaded the door after the gunman left because they were afraid he’d come back – he tried…but was unsucceful. these guys perhaps spared the remaining classmates left in that room…i imagined what he must be feeling…approximately half of the class was slain, and perhaps the other would have been had they not been proactive. he’s a hero, but i promise you he doesn’t feel that emotion this morning…

and, like many others, i struggle with the “why?” question. this is not the place to ‘preach’ – i simple want to say that God is ok with “why?” questions (read Habakkuk for example).

i’ve been in the Blacksburg community and on the campus of VT a couple of times…it’s very much like the campus of any college or university across America…full of love, full of community, full of people pursuing their dreams and their destinies. this tragedy, i pray, will not define the campus of VT nor the experience of any young person pursuing their dreams.

across the blogosphere that i tune into, guys are pouring out their hearts because of these events…

- Chris has framed this well as a bookmark…i like his last line, “may we strive to write the next day better than the last”

- Tim hits the mark with this post declaring that this is a wake up call

- Finally, Craig offers a prayer for us all to prayer as well as a place for you to add your own prayer…please, take time to pray - go to this link and add your own…at this point, it’s what the community of Blacksburg needs the most