I’ve been contemplating my “return to blogging” for quite a while, and I woke up this morning knowing today would be the day. I was fully ready to rant about transportation issues in Morgantown or some other slightly asinine topic.
It wasn’t until a few minutes ago that it truly hit me what I should write about. 11 days ago, 29 coal miners lost their lives in Raleigh County West Virginia. The day before that, April 4, was the “anniversary” of three Pittsburgh Police officers being gunned down in the line duty. And today, we find ourselves honoring the memory of 32 students murdered on the campus of Virginia Tech in 2007, but just four days from now on the 20th will be the 11th anniversary of the school shooting at Columbine High School resulting in 15 dead including the two gunmen.
If you do the math, that’s 79 deaths. 79 funerals for people who likely still had decades of life ahead of them. And those are just the major disasters that come to mind, how many more were murdered or otherwise taken from the world before their time?
Today, we are all Hokies. But today, we are also all sons, daughters, fathers, mothers, friends, spouses, etc. Don’t let a simple grudge or disagreement ruin a relationship with someone. Don’t let fear prevent you from trying something new. You never know when you might lose a loved one, or when your own life might be cut short. Don’t live a life of regret.
And when you’re sitting down tonight, to pray to whatever God you believe in, pray for the family and friends of all that have been lost in the month of April; the Montcoal Miners, Pittsburgh Police officers, and the students of Virginia Tech and Columbine High School, and anyone else whose lives may have been cut short.
What Would Jono Do? 