I had been waiting for about two years for an opportunity to present itself. I had a giving key that said "Strength," and last Thursday I gave it to my best friend and roommate after one of the most horrific circumstances we had ever endured.
We attend Seattle Pacific University, and last Thursday, June 5th, a man armed with a shotgun entered our campus with an intent to kill as many as possible. My roommate had left the same building around 3:25, and by 3:30, one student lay dead, and two others were severely injured with gunshot wounds.
Though the gunman was soon disarmed and arrested, our small, private university has been reeling ever since. Because she so narrowly missed being present at the shooting, my roommate has been struggling to find her feet again in the wake of this tragedy. I gave her my key in hopes that she could find the strength to comfort others, even as she herself deals with the aftermath.
I only wish that I had enough giving keys for my entire school. We are a family, though we come from different backgrounds. We cry together, pray together, mourn together. And if my one little giving key can bring strength to just one member of this broken community, then there truly is hope for healing.
