I went to Metro State University's graduation ceremony yesterday. It went on for a very, very long time, but I wanted to be there to honor the one person I knew. He was only one of the 1,287 people about to receive a diploma. I thought about all that education being put to good use in the world.
I had a horrible thought as I sat in my chair, cramped and already fidgeting, as I waited for the event to begin. I thought, If anyone comes in with a gun, I'll throw my daughter to the floor and lay on top of her. Thank god I'm a lot bigger than her, right?
Then the ceremony started. I was listening to the speakers when an older couple was introduced at the podium. They were the parents of a 24 year old woman, Jessica Ghawi, who was killed in the Aurora theatre shooting on July 20th. Jessica would have been one of the graduates if an insane man hadn't murdered her and 11 other people that night.
On June 2nd, Jessica Ghawi was outside a mall in Toronto when a man started shooting in the food court. She had been shopping when she got "an odd feeling" that caused her to go outside just before the firing began. A 23-year old male shot five people, a 24-year old died. Two months earlier, the shooter had been stabbed more than 20 times. I don't know if his act of violence was his idea of retribution, but he certainly sent his hatred and fear out into the wider world.
A month later, Jessica died senselessly in Aurora.
Her parents spoke with composure and strength. They have joined my personal list of heroes now. They were honoring their beloved daughter, and even while mentioning the tragic murders in Newtown, their words were about the good in life and the potential to do uplifting things for society. They did not once strengthen our despair by speaking of the murderers.
I had a horrible thought as I sat in my chair, cramped and already fidgeting, as I waited for the event to begin. I thought, If anyone comes in with a gun, I'll throw my daughter to the floor and lay on top of her. Thank god I'm a lot bigger than her, right?
Then the ceremony started. I was listening to the speakers when an older couple was introduced at the podium. They were the parents of a 24 year old woman, Jessica Ghawi, who was killed in the Aurora theatre shooting on July 20th. Jessica would have been one of the graduates if an insane man hadn't murdered her and 11 other people that night.
On June 2nd, Jessica Ghawi was outside a mall in Toronto when a man started shooting in the food court. She had been shopping when she got "an odd feeling" that caused her to go outside just before the firing began. A 23-year old male shot five people, a 24-year old died. Two months earlier, the shooter had been stabbed more than 20 times. I don't know if his act of violence was his idea of retribution, but he certainly sent his hatred and fear out into the wider world.
A month later, Jessica died senselessly in Aurora.
Her parents spoke with composure and strength. They have joined my personal list of heroes now. They were honoring their beloved daughter, and even while mentioning the tragic murders in Newtown, their words were about the good in life and the potential to do uplifting things for society. They did not once strengthen our despair by speaking of the murderers.
What a beautiful blog entry! I agree, let's keep focused on the victims & their families and friends, the survivors, heros and first responders. Let us honor them in our memories and actions.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Tamcho. We need to keep moving forward.
DeletePoignant. I got a chuckle out of "Thank god I'm a lot bigger than her", but it definitely took a turn for the heart-wrenching.
DeleteI had a similar experience Monday morning when I dropped my kids off at school with the memory of the school shooting so fresh in my mind.
I hope it never gets so bad that we can't laugh a little bit. I had a child in high school when Columbine happened. She attended a different high school, but we had been at Columbine High School a short time earlier for some kind of music collaboration. I remember thinking what a great-looking school it was. I was in downtown Denver without a car that day or I would have rushed to find her.
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