Chattanooga, We Used To Live There...

   April, 2007..A shooting on the campus of Virginia Tech, in the college town of Blacksburg, VA. That town had been our home since 2005. We were happy there. We had family there. We had friends there and a good church there.

   But we were not there when the shooting occurred, when those students and faculty were gunned down.

   I remember wanting to go back "home", to be there to grieve for that unimaginable loss. To sit in church and hear what the preacher had to say, what God had to say about this. I wanted to stand in that candlelight vigil on the drill field and show solidarity with those who mourned.

   We knew none of the students or faculty who died in that, although our son who taught there did. Their families and friends had the greater loss, but we grieved for the whole community.

   July, 2015..Another shooting in our "home town". We both grew up in Chattanooga, married and raised our kids there. It was, and is, a great little city, full of good people, our friends.

   Again, we are not there. For twenty years we have lived elsewhere, and, as far as I know now, we had no relationship with any of those who were killed, or their families. We did not know them, but we did have a relationship with the town.

   And, as in 2007, we grieve for the folks who live there. We are saddened by the fact that forever, or at least the next news cycle, people who call that Tennessee city home, will be known for what happened there yesterday. The name Chattanooga will be a reminder of a tragedy, just like Blacksburg was eight years ago.

   The families that lost loved ones share the greater grief, no doubt, and we hurt for them.

   And all the folks that call Chattanooga "their home" lost yesterday, too.

   We too, want to stand with them in this hour.