It's been a tough week in our community and our country. Last Thursday, school district officials were forced to close down Cloquet High School for the day because of a veiled threat of violence and the subsequent discovery that a set of the school's entry doors had been tampered with.
This Monday, the collective heart of the nation was shaken and saddened by news of the horrible shooting/suicide incident at Virginia Tech College that left 33 dead - and all of us feeling vulnerable.
On Tuesday, local Cloquet high school students, staff and families were stunned to hear that one of their own, a 15-year-old student who was reportedly well known and active in the life of the school, had committed suicide.
And so, many, many folks came to the hill in Pinehurst Park by candlelight on Tuesday night to grieve, to share, to reach out to each other for strength, support and direction in a cleansing vigil that left most reluctant to depart.
No one there had any answers. No one had any explanations. It was enough just to be there, to be able to reach out and touch the person next to you, to feel the shared power of community - and to shed tears without worrying who's watching.
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It is natural at times such as these to question the ways of the world, the glowing promise of today's youth, the motivations of a sometimes unfathomable generation teetering shakily on the brink of adulthood.
The facts of the matter are irreversible, but if we can learn from them, if we can use tough times such as these to turn our thoughts inwardly to examine where we stand in our own lives, to make a concerted effort to change things and grow, we can turn the doubts and despair into a a more positive mandate for the future.
Wendy Johnson
