Dealing with more tragedy

Today, hundreds of strangers — united by compassion and hope — search for clues to the disturbing disappearance of a young woman.
Yesterday, friends and supporters came together in a benefit event to help a local musician with medical expenses — while just two weeks ago, a disastrous fire that took the life of another local musician and left his father homeless called forth another round of benefit events.

And today, America mourns a stunning national tragedy in the wake of the massacre at Fort Hood, Texas.
The bittersweet irony is that community tragedies stir our hearts and, often, stir us to selfless action.
The outpouring of support for the family of Morgan D. Harrington, missing since Oct. 17, has been remarkable. Her story has generated national sympathy. Offers of help of all kinds have come in from across the country.
In one such display, hundreds of people are convened in Charlottesville to intensively search the area where Ms. Harrington was last seen after leaving a concert at the John Paul Jones Arena and being denied re-entry.

“We’re looking for the needle in the haystack,” said Bob Smither, co-founder of the Laura Recovery Center for missing children — that odd bit of evidence, somehow overlooked, that might break the case.
Also this weekend, the community banded together to raise money for George Melvin, a beloved long-time fixture of the music community. Under any circumstances, this would be a noteworthy event.
But it is all the more so because it follows, and echoes, similar events held two weeks ago after local musician Johnny Gilmore was killed in a house fire and his family found themselves in need.
These several responses show us the depths of tragedy and the soaring capacity of the human spirit.
These tragedies would have been more than sufficient for our community to deal with.

But into this already sad time breaks the national tragedy of the Fort Hood killings.
And with the alleged shooter a graduate of Virginia Tech, who can fail to remember the Tech massacre of April 2007? Then, a lone gunman killed 32 faculty and fellow students, wounded still others and then took his own life.
At this writing, the death toll at Fort Hood is 13, and dozens wounded. Doctors say more may die of their severe wounds.
There is concern that, although this tragedy will bring forth selflessness and compassion among many, it may also spark vengeful violence.

We would be less than human if we did not ask: Why?
Why these tragedies? Why this suffering?
This existential questioning can yield no easy answers. Each of us must find an explanation that satisfies us — or find grace to live without a satisfactory explanation.
Meanwhile, some of us are asking: What?

What can I do to help? What can I do to make things better for the current sufferers or to prevent future tragedies?
It is these people whom we honor today. They have refused to be embittered or corrupted by tragedy. They have chosen hope and compassion.
They are a light in our darkness.