One Year Ago

VT's Norris Hall behind a half-mast flag
©Kimberly Gelina

One year ago I was working in a preschool when we heard the news that shots had been fired at Virginia Tech. As the news came in it was harder and harder to keep the "no worries" smile and attitidue needed to photograph newborns to fives. Having photographed the children in Virginia Tech's Child Development Center my concern went right to those little ones. The teachers and director of this center would need to put away their own personal worries and take care of the safety of the children in their charges. I later found out the director's daughter was to have been in Norris Hall (the second location) at the time of the shootings. However, she had been running late and was outside the hall when she heard the shots being fired.

My thoughts and prayers go out to the families and friends that lost loved ones during this tragedy. As a parent I can't even begin to know what they must have been going through—your child at the beginning of their life's path only to be abruptly cut short. I know God is sovereign and in control, but I wonder what solace those who don't know God could have.

©Kimberly Gelina

On this one year anniversary of this event, Virginia Tech will be dedicating a memorial to those lives lost. It will be a day of remembering and looking forward. Virginia Tech's web site includes biographies of those who died, images and video in memorial of the healing that has occurred over the last year.

This site also contains good information for anyone dealing with grief. I am glad to see the healing that has been going on for the last year and pray for God's continued mercy on those who have lost their loved one.