We are each unique in our own right and the way in which we deal with tragedy varies from person to person. There is no one right way to deal with loss of any kind and there is not one type of loss that is more difficult than another. People think of loss and quite often the first thing that comes to mind is losing those we love to illness or death. But what about the loss of a dream, the loss of our overall safety, or the loss of our community? These are other types of losses that also follow the aftermath of California's most recent deadly Borderline shooting, Woolsey fire, and campfire.
In the aftermath of the woolsey fire, camp fire, and borderline shooting, when our home, family, and livelihood are threatened, we are left questioning our overall purpose, the meaning of certain aspects of our lives, and even our own existence. Who am I or who will I become? Making life choices in minutes or seconds that will impact the rest of our life is not something we should have to endure, but the truth is we do on a more regular basis than we know.
We want to believe it will be ok. We hear those statements and so badly want to believe it to be true. “It was just things, all that matters is that the ones we love are safe”. But the truth is that these things do matter, they represent the choices we have made, the memories we have created, and the path in which we framed our community. Even though things can be replaced, the memories in which they hold can seemingly vanish.
One cannot imagine what it would be like to go back home and see nothing but ashes, brick, and cement or to be told your loved one is not coming home from what was supposed to be a night of connection with friends. These are no longer just news stories for California now, as these things did happen to our community and we need one another more than ever to heal. The community as a whole has been impacted and it will take the community as a whole to heal.
Over the next week, we will share 5 of our own unique experiences to understand we are not alone, the necessity of time to heal, and how we need each other in a community minded way. On November 25th, the Sunday following Thanksgiving
and the Sunday after, December 2nd, we will create a space and come together as a community for education to be imparted, support to be freely provided, emotions to be felt and begin to be processed, insights to be gained, hope to be instilled, and mindfully heal as one community.