A Message Within A Message

On April 20, 1999, at a suburban high school in Littleton, Colorado, two armed teenagers started their day with a plan to kill.  In less than an hour, they transformed the halls of this average American high school into a prison of terror, leaving 13 dead and at least 19 others wounded, before ending their tirade by turning their guns on themselves.  The physical damage to life and property was just a fragment of the destruction created that day. Traumatized witnesses, mourning families, frightened friends, an unnerved community, and a hurting nation were all formed at the whim of these teens hands.  As people touched by the tragedy tried to cope with their disturbing reality, they placed mementos on a grassy hill of an adjacent park.  At this site a permanent memorial of the Columbine shootings was erected 7 years later.

I visited the Columbine Memorial today.  The scenic views of Clement Park made an appropriate sanctuary for reflection.  It is clear why loved ones came to this heavenly haven during the midst of their grief and confusion.  Written on the stone faces