together we thrive

tonight was the memorial at ua for the tragic loss of 6 and injury of dozens more last saturday. i opted not to try and attend (not that i would have made it into line in time to get into the arena), because i felt like this was a time to honor those who were killed and injured, not a time to go to see the president speak. honestly, if the president wasn't speaking, i wouldn't have attended, so it doesn't seem appropriate to attend just to see him. so instead, i am at home, watching the speeches that have each been meaningful and moving.

there has been so much dialogue since saturday about what factors have led up to or contributed to this tragedy. it is a little overwhelming, and at times, ludicrous, to see how many politicos take a stance, blaming their opposition for spreading words, symbols, hate... and while i loved that the pima county sherrif called arizona a mecca for prejudice, what i loved even more was john stewart's response on monday night's the daily show. it was honest, it was real, and it was a call to rise from the ashes of our tragedies and fly higher than before.

it has been surreal to be a part of this experience. the shooting occurred just a mile or two from my apartment, on what my coworker calls, the magic corner, because it has had particular spiritual significance to her. saturday morning i didn't even know anything had happened - after sleeping in (surprise!), i was heading into work, when the major expressway i take to campus was closed. it was shut down at my little street, so all of the traffic from this six-lane thoroughfare was shuttled onto my little two-lane road. i thought it was odd, but didn't realize that something serious was going on until i realized that it was not just the intersection that was blocked, but the entire street. it wasn't for another 30 minutes that i finally learned what had happened. when the radio finally announced what had happened, i was in shock. and as the details continued to pour in, i just became more and more surprised. in the time since saturday, i have felt the city of tucson, which is by numbers a big city, but truly a small town at heart, reach out and support its community members.