No need for a picture here.

No, there is no need for a picture here. None. There are hardly words to convey the feelings being shared at this very moment.

My young friends... Hug each other tight. Cry and talk. Cry and talk some more...go ahead and laugh. It's ok to be mad, to be sad, to feel confused.

My parent friends. The numbness and extreme sadness is shared by all. We are only older children, with the same feelings as our children. Maybe we understand how to cope a little better...maybe not. But, it's ok, too.

Many of us saw each other today. All we had to do was look at each other and we knew. It's the bond of the broken. We've been here before. Some of us, too many times. Whether this was the first time, or the tenth, it doesn't matter. The pain sucks our hearts out of our chests and we gasp for air. A young life snuffed out is heart-wrenching.

A community as small as ours knows suffering and loss all too well. The blessing in the dark is knowing there is a hand reaching out and an arm extended. Understanding and compassion become cushioning, in a sense.

We embrace each other and whisper, "I care". The words don't have to be verbalized, but they are there. We've watched each other's children grow up. We've been involved in each other's lives, simply because it's part of living in a small community.

We can't be anything but real right now. We can't do anything to take the pain away, but....
Mitchek family, we love you. We are so sorry. We are here for you, to support you, to hug you and pray.

My friends, we will pull together like we do. We will lend a shoulder and share this sorrow, like we do. We will love this family, like we do. We will do what we can do. Most of all we will just be there for them, for each other. Because we care, we do.