A Letter from Moore Family

Title

A Letter from Moore Family

Description

What a relief, the killer turned out not to be a Chinese. What a relief, no members of ACSS were killed. - However, it is the same. The same horror, the same grief.

The killer, a sick person went extreme to the extreme. He didn't do what he did because he was Korean. Anyone in that mental state, with easy access to weapons could have done it.

The grief over the lost innocent lives is equally unbearable. I am thrilled to know that I can still see the smiles in Beibei's beautiful bright eyes because Haiyan and her students did what they did. I am relieved to know my employee will brighten up again soon since his best buddy was one of the luck two in the whole classroom. But some other children's eyes are dimmed forever. Some other friends' heart will be heavy for their loss forever.

In this small town, it is easy to find links to some of the victims. A colleague, a friend's friend, a child's friend's parent, a neighbor ... Dr. L, he was always so gentle, so friendly when he used to shop at Oasis with his wife and daughters. He always said humbly "Thank you so much!", emphasis on "so much". My heart ache for his tragedy. Jocelyne, the French instructor, she was like a beam of sunshine every time I saw her. I never knew who she was or what she did until tonight. Last time I saw her, she cheerfully offered to help me organize a cooking class so she can learn to cook the "wonderful" international foods. My heart ache for her tragedy. Jamie used to always stop by our side after shopping at Eats, always wearing a smile. I will always miss the meat skewers cooked by the Indonesian guy. I will always miss the dances by the Lebanese girl. Ultimately, we are all linked as human beings. Imagine the horror and pain they suffered; imagine the shock and agony that the families and friends of the victims when they receive the news of such horrid deaths of their loved ones. You will feel the pain of those other human-beings. It is a tragedy of the human race.

It is time to mourn. It is time to live,not only for ourselves, but also for the not-living. Do something, as many of us in our ACSS community are doing quietly in their own personal ways. Do something that keeps the spirit up for the Hokies, for the Chinese Community in this far-from-home little town, for all the Blacksburg people. Considering the scale of the tragedy, living as survivors is hard. Give them space and peace. Help them heal. Go to vigils. Donate to Hokie Spirit Memorial Fund or similar funds. Or just be a supportive citizen of Blacksburg and VT.

Everyone at VT and in Blacksburg are in this together, you be it yellow or black or white. Let's heal ourselves and help heal each other. Let's live the best we can.

Sincerely,
Xiaojin

Creator

Xiaojin Moore

Date

2007-07-24

Contributor

Na Mi

Language

eng

Citation

Xiaojin Moore, “A Letter from Moore Family,” The April 16 Archive, accessed March 19, 2024, https://www.april16archive.org/items/show/803.