I've been reading coverage of the Virginia Tech shootings with a heavy heart. Even though we'll never know much about each victim and family, I can picture the grief and loss spreading out like concentric ripples in a pond; thousands of people's lives will be affected.
It brought back memories of my own college experience. In the early 90's I was a freshman at Indiana University in Bloomington, IN. One day as I was walking back from class, I heard what sounded like a gunshot. Then I heard another right after it. Turns out that a spurned boyfriend - not a student, but his ex-girlfriend was - had driven to IU from California and brought his gun. He went to her dorm room and shot her and her new boyfriend.
She lived; the new boyfriend died. Thank God that no one else was hurt, but the young man who was killed was in an English class with my roommate. That brought the tragedy right home to us. It was a very difficult time - especially since we were just discovering who we were in the wide world - and we had many tearful "what is the meaning of life" talks in the days and weeks afterwards.
Anyway, my thoughts and prayers are with the families and friends of the victim - and the shooter - who must certainly still be in shock with grief. May God bring them comfort in the days to come.
