journey of life

Over a month has passed and I am still in shock. I am well aware this could have happened anywhere, but to know it happened in Blacksburg, one of the places I felt the most safe, has been extremely hard to digest. First, I need to thank everyone for the emails, phone calls and well wishes. We have had an outpouring of emails over the past few weeks. It’s amazing to have friends and family like you.

At the end of April I went on campus with my mom. Here’s some pictures I took:

There were 33 Hokie stones placed on the Drillfield in front of Burruss Hall. 33. Not 32. I overheard a priest comment he had read someone wrote, “32 died because 1 was lost.”

Each stone had flowers, candles, mementos, letters, pictures and poems. A common theme was the Virginia Tech lunch box.

Behind the semi-circle of Hokie stones were piles upon piles of flowers. Although it wasn’t crowded, there was a steady amount of traffic and a handful of media. The crowd very quietly around the memorial, slowly observing each and every name. A small group huddled under the flags in front of Burruss Hall for a moment of silence.

In front of War Memorial ribbons were hung with prayers and messages.

The University posted signs on every building, asking the media for privacy.

On the Drillfield, maroon, black and orange ribbons were tied around every tree.

In Squires Student Center there were hundreds of cards, posters and flowers everywhere from all over the world. Up and down the halls, on the walls and even hanging from stairs and the ceiling. Staff members were in the process of putting more up when we were there.

Students from the University of Virginia had painted and signed the letters, H-O-K-I-E-S.

Many of you have asked if anybody we know was injured/hurt/killed. Although we don’t have a direct connection, we are all Hokies. We are family.

Every day, I think: This happened at Virginia Tech. In Norris Hall. I know exactly where that is. I had classes there. I know people who work in that building. I know someone who walked past the shooter as he was chaining up the doors… It’s too real for me. I think maybe we expect things like this to happen. To many, this may seem like another fictional television show or movie. But, all too often fiction becomes reality. For me, it has finally sunk in and feels real. If this happened in Blacksburg, how safe are we anywhere?

I am extremely proud of my fellow Hokies. The faculty, staff and students have shown what it’s like to bleed maroon and orange. We’ve shown our resiliency and strength. We’ve shown our diversity and that we do not judge others. Together we stand, hand in hand, proud Hokies. We will prevail.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, May 22nd, 2007 at 3:13 pm and is filed under news. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.