This has been a sad 24 hours in my city. A lonely, paranoid and violent 25-year old young man entered a college in my city yesterday and gunned down students. One young woman died and many others are in critical condition, some on life support. A true tragedy.
My thoughts turn to Clay at this time, strangely enough. But perhaps it is not so odd, considering what a ray of sunshine Clay is: optimistic, full of love and hope for life and those around him. That deranged young man yesterday - who was killed by local police officers within minutes of their arrival on the scene* - truly needed someone like Clay in his life: another young man with such a different outlook on life, to be a model of hope... He needed love.
I cry today for the young woman who died, her family and loved ones. I pray for those still in the hospital, their family members and friends who are in such anguish. I feel great sadness for the depths of despair in which that young man must have lived, as well as for his parents and family members who must now grieve his loss - as well as what might have been. I wish for a non-violent society, in which all children and young people would be loved, would feel included, part of the world around them, with a constructive purpose to their lives.
I wish for a society with more beautiful people like Clay, beacons of love and hope in a world which for too many, contains nothing but darkness, suffering and pain.
As we celebrate Clay's new CD release next Tuesday, I will be paying tribute especially to OMC's inspirational spirit, and I will try to be more and more like him - in honour of those who have died, and those who are suffering yet in the hospital, or quietly in their homes, from the trauma of this horrendous experience...
Hug your children and other young ones around you today.
In peace,
-- ClayKat
* at the time I wrote this post yesterday, this was the information available. We later learned that although a police officer shot the perpetrator in the arm, the young man actually took his own life, turning one of his weapons on himself. - ClayKat, Friday, September 15th, 2006
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