A Sad Day...

I'm sure most of you have heard of the tragedy that took place at Virginia Tech yesterday. Now, have I ever been to VT, no...am I still affected by this, yes. You can't throw a rock around here without hitting a vehicle that has a VT sticker, a VT Parent sticker or a VT alumni sticker on it. I can't imagine what these people must be going through, especially the family members of students now at VT. Maybe it's just me but in driving around this morning, I saw a lot more solemn faces in the cars passing than usual. The fact that this was so random and carried out by a disgruntled student does not make this easier to live with. And the fact that some people are already trying to blame the college for the second shooting, saying if they hadn't lifted the lock down the gunman couldn't have moved on to the next location, disgusts me. There is no one to blame for this incident other than the man that was holding the gun.
There was one story that I heard that has really stuck with me and I can't seem to get it out of my head. During the second shooting, one professor held the door closed as this mad man was trying to get in and shoot his students. He held it closed and gave his life so that his students could escape through the window. This man had survived the Holocaust, had dedicated his life to shaping teenagers into adults and he gave his life for those students. There are several other stories of people holding the doors closed to keep the gunman out but I can't forget this one. I'm not sure why. Maybe it's becuase I know he was older and it had to have taken a lot of effort to keep that man out. Maybe it was just that I had a name and face to go with this story. I'm not sure, but it's going to stay with me for a long time.
I know this tragedy will have a huge effect on this community, this state. I can only pray that some good can come out of this.