Vigils

Ok, so I've been super busy lately, and I haven't blogged much, lately.  As spring rolls around, real estate gets very busy, especially when prices and interest rates have dropped so much, so I've been shooting a lot of properties.  But on occasion, I have the opportunity to shoot some journalism.  Last weekend, a local high school in Manassas held a vigil for two recent graduates who recently died at their respective colleges.  About 100 kids showed up. Some knew the deceased from high school, but others didn't.  They all came out to show their support for the families of these two girls who were taken at such a young age.  

Vigils have become strangely common in recent years.  A year ago, following the massacre at VATech, a huge vigil was held on campus (one I didn't attend, but I knew of scores of photojournalists who did).  Another, more recent vigil, that I did attend, was that for fallen Redskin, Sean Taylor.  It seems that vigils create an atmosphere conducive to support.  It provides those who mourn, a pathway or beginning for the healing process.  It's essentially a ritual, a critical part of the healing process, something I learned a year ago in York, PA.  

In York, I worked on a project that documented a grief and loss center for children, Olivia's House.  I learned a great deal about how children and adults deal with death and grief.  Central to the program's ability to help these families who came in following the loss of a family member, was this idea of using rituals to foster the healing process.  

Something that made this vigil interesting was the method leading to the quickness in which the people were organized.  A friend of both the girls put together a quick Facebook page, and within a few days 150 people agreed to attend the vigil.  Candles were passed out, and quickly, everyone seemed to know what to do.  A circle widened and within a few minutes, students and parents exchanged stories about the two girls.  At some point, someone began to sing, and a couple songs were sung spontaneously.  It's always tough to see teenagers grieve for their friends, but it's harder to see the parents.  I don't have any children of my own, but I've always heard the worst thing is always when a parent outlives their children, and I don't doubt it.