One life is gone. Six more will bear physical scars. And an entire community will have emotional ones for some time. We are at the very beginning and most acute stage of coming to terms with the senseless assault on our neighbours in Lynn Valley.
Our thanks go to the brave civilian bystanders and professional first responders who brought this to an end as quickly as they did.
Through our grief we are always compelled to want to know more and know why. The court process, long and drawn out as it is, will provide an accounting of what happened. But no answer to the question “Why?” will ever make adequate sense.
Far more healing can come from asking “How can I help?”
North Shore Emergency Management has opened a community counselling space at Karen Magnussen Community Centre, for which we are grateful. Other services are available through Foundry North Shore, Family Services of the North Shore and Hollyburn Family Services.
For everyone else, we ask you to pick up the phone to reach out to someone near, and say “Hey, are you OK?” and “It’s OK if you’re not.” The trauma spread by Saturday’s attack means we all need a little support.
Hundreds of people have already come to lay flowers and notes of condolences at the site. Many thousands of dollars have been raised to support the victims and their families.
Whether the people dropping bouquets and donating money appreciate it or not, these are the acts that will reclaim that space for us and patch the holes in our sense of a safe community.
What are your thoughts? Send us a letter via email by clicking here or post a comment below.
