Moments of Silence

These past couple of days have been filled with sadness, reflection, and emotion.

First and foremost, my beloved Grammie passed away on Thursday night. I did not cry why I heard the news; I knew she was at peace and in a better place. Almost 5 years ago today, my Papa died and Gram just wasn't the same. Her health immediately plummeted and although she tried to remain cheerful, she was deeply saddened by her loss. Like any elder, she has had her medical issues. Early last week she went in for an MRI for her stomach - she had been complaining of stomach issues. The Doc said she had cancer and I think at that moment Gram knew this should be her time. The ceremony was amazing. The Pastor talked about her grace, cheerfulness, service to her community, and her love for her 3 Grandkids. Gram was truly a fabulous lady and I will miss her greatly. Some of the best memories of my childhood are at Grammie and Papa's house. I would spend several weeks at their house in the summer. I would help Gram in the garden - picking berries, cucumbers, tomatoes, onions, corn, etc. Then making jam and freezing veggies. We would bake countless cupcakes and go for our standard 1 mile walk after dinner. Papa would drag me around town with him and I would help him do all his errands. It was a great time!  Nonetheless, both of them are kept in a special place in my heart.

Next, the 6 year anniversary of the VT shooting was yesterday. I was there and remember vividly hearing the news that day. Luckily, I was working on my Master's Final Project Report at home. But on of my friends had headed to class. She texted me while in class about being on lockdown. I had my eyes glued to the TV and saw Norris Hall. It was one of the engineering building that I have had plenty of classes in - I had one that semester there. Patton Hall (my Civil Engineering home base building) was directly across from Norris and a fellow Master's student was currently in the building giving his dissertation. It was startling and I was in shock. Although I was interested in learning about this individuals motives, I couldn't bear to watch the news throughout the following days. I attended the service shortly thereafter in the Drill Field and visisted the memorial after graduation. Nikki Giovanni's Convocation Address in April 2007 says it all (via VT}:

We are Virginia Tech.
We are sad today, and we will be sad for quite a while. We are not moving on, we are embracing our mourning.
We are Virginia Tech.
We are strong enough to stand tall tearlessly, we are brave enough to bend to cry, and we are sad enough to know that we must laugh again.
We are Virginia Tech.
We do not understand this tragedy. We know we did nothing to deserve it, but neither does a child in Africa dying of AIDS, neither do the invisible children walking the night away to avoid being captured by the rogue army, neither does the baby elephant watching his community being devastated for ivory, neither does the Mexican child looking for fresh water, neither does the Appalachian infant killed in the middle of the night in his crib in the home his father built with his own hands being run over by a boulder because the land was destabilized. No one deserves a tragedy.
We are Virginia Tech.
The Hokie Nation embraces our own and reaches out with open heart and hands to those who offer their hearts and minds. We are strong, and brave, and innocent, and unafraid. We are better than we think and not quite what we want to be. We are alive to the imaginations and the possibilities. We will continue to invent the future through our blood and tears and through all our sadness.
We are the Hokies.
We will prevail.
We will prevail.
We will prevail.
We are Virginia Tech.

{via VT}

Finally, I returned from Gram's Funeral to hear the news that 2 bombs went off during the Boston Marathon.  Another act of violence during an event that should be joyous.  Marathons are hard work (not that I would know, the thought of 26.2 miles scares me from even trying).  People train for months for a marathon, they push through pain during the race, and feel complete relief, joy, exhaustion, and pride upon completing the race.  It is a great achievement.  Yet for so many, it was ended early by an act of violence.  And innocent bystanders were hurt - the backbone of the cheering department that so many racers thrive off of.  Comedian-actor Patton Oswalt said this on his Facebook page - "So when you spot violence, or bigotry, or intolerance or fear or just garden-variety misogyny, hatred or ignorance, just look it in the eye and think, 'The good outnumber you, and we always will.' " {via CNN}.  It helps to remind me that good will always prevail and that we cannot be stripped of hope.