Thoughts on healing
Yes, NIU needs answers, wants answers. As we continue to struggle toward answering the most clichéd of all questions, “why”, we have witnessed an outpouring of emotion from everyone in the community.
In DeKalb, banners adorn light posts, “NIU” and “Forward, Together Forward” are proclaimed on every street corner, on every street light. Just north, the city of Sycamore has shown similar support. NIU flags fly from their own flag poles along State Street, and, just like in DeKalb, nearly every business has placed posters in their windows: “Forward, Together Forward”. Community members (and yes, that includes students) have come together like we never thought possible, making ribbons, packaging cookies and doing the little things that count for a lot during trying times, the above and beyond. Courage in the face of fear. People have been just a little bit nicer to each other.
Last night’s memorial service was only the beginning in a community that has been rocked, and grieving for the last 10 days. As I pointed out before, the media will now slowly dwindle away, and a week from today they may well no longer linger on campus. But our pain, and our healing, will continue.
Some of the themes from last night will be important to echo in coming weeks, days, and months. Themes and ideas give us something to latch onto, something to believe in; whether it is God, or the Huskie Spirit shining its light through the darkness. Latch on to what you believe in and let it help you through the tough times. Don’t feel like a memorial service and classes reconvening requires you to stop grieving. None of us really know how to do this, I don’t pretend to, so we truly are in this together.
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