The events of yesterday afternoon are haunting, not least of which is because someone I hold dear was there, but because it is a greater statement on how fragile and unstable our world is. Upon first hearing the news that there was a shooting at a school campus that is a mere 40 minutes away, a campus that I was planning on being at that very night, nothing less than a heart chilling fear and sorrow consumed my being. I immediately dialed the number I know all too well to get some kind of reassurance that my dear friend was unharmed.

I was in England when Columbine occurred, in school in Illinois when the Twin towers came crashing down, in Switzerland when over 40 people were gunned down at Virginia Tech and now 40 minutes and a friend’s phone call away from the NIU shooting. There is no place that one can find refuge when such events hit the airwaves. Whether an ocean away or a car ride away, the tragedy is felt in your core and its hit knocks you to your knees.

My thoughts and prayers are with the students and families at Northern Illinois University.