**A list of some helpful mental health resources can be found on Cal Lutheran’s website if you or a friend is in need**
I’m going to be honest… this was supposed to be an article about my eighteenth birthday tomorrow. But as I sat in my dorm writing about the excitement I felt about a long, bright future ahead as I transition into adulthood, I found myself frozen while my roommate tearfully read out a text message that shook my world. At a nearby bar in Thousand Oaks, there was a mass shooting.
Even now, 48 hours later, I am at a loss for words. What do you say when there are no words? I feel somewhat unqualified to discuss something hitting so close to home, but I will do my best to articulate my thoughts.
First of all, I cannot imagine the confusion, shock, pain, devastation, and loss that the victims and their loved ones must be experiencing. Nobody deserves to come face to face with a reality as harsh and tragic as Wednesday night’s occurrence. If you have a connection to any of the victims, all the hearts in Thousand Oaks and beyond are aching for you and compassion is always waiting around every corner.
Less than 24 hours after the shooting, a devastating wildfire erupted nearby, destroying over 90,000 acres so far and counting, forcing thousands to evacuate, and destroying dozens of homes. Due to the timing of the fires, many had no time to process the tragedy that had already occurred in the peace of their own homes.
Sometimes, unexplainable, violent, unfair things happen in this world. Life will knock us down one time after another without giving us a chance to catch our breath. Lives are cut short far too soon, families are torn apart unexpectedly, homes are demolished in an instant, and we all find ourselves asking:
“Why? How could this happen?”
Truthfully, I don’t think we’ll ever have the answers. But what we do have is each other. And sometimes, that is all we need to get through these devastating times.
It is hard to find the light in situations like these, but so much healing has already begun. Lifting each other up, walking through hardship together, and keeping our eyes forward – that is the light. Every member of this community is grieving, praying, and enduring this side by side, and not one will go through it alone. Personally, I have never seen so many open arms, so many strangers checking up on other strangers, so many people wanting to help, so many willing shoulders to lean on, so many outpourings of genuine love in this community.
Before moving forward, its ok to hurt for weeks, months, and beyond. A wise woman once told me, “A heavy heart needs time to heal, for you cannot rush the way you feel.” In other words, allow yourself to cry, feel, talk it out, and surround yourself with loves ones. Together, we will come out the other side of this with arms linked and eyes forward. It’s safe to say that countless individuals are truly moved by the compassion and humanity that has been shown across the Cal Lutheran campus over the past two days. In the darkness of these times, love like this shines bright and makes all the difference.
We are Thousand Oaks Strong and together, we will get through it.
To honor the victims and their families and to acknowledge the heroism of Justin Meek, here is a quote that was beautifully spoken in chapel on Thursday Morning, 11/8/18.
“When you remember me, it means that you have carried something of who I am with you, that I have left some mark of who I am on who you are. It means that you can summon me back to your mind even though countless years and miles may stand between us. It means that if we meet again, you will know me. It means that even after I die, you can still see my face and hear my voice and speak to me in your heart.” -Frederick Buechner