I don't write here very often. A lot of what I have to say will fit nicely on a Facebook page or even a tweet. But sometimes something happens that brings a flood of thoughts that I feel I must write somewhere, without regard if anyone ever sees them.
The horrible events in Aurora, Colorado keep coming back to me in news stories, all very sad, frequently about the heroism of some of the people who lost their lives there. The morning after it happened, I had been unaware at first and was happily posting a cute photo, sending it to Craig Ferguson, something to make him smile if he found it. Immediately after sending it, I returned to find the news. Horrified and upset, the first thing I did was delete that photo. Then I saw that one of my #RSA friends, Mimi, had tried to go to the show but couldn't get a ticket. At least one person I knew was safe. I worried about other people I knew and tried not to panic. The more news stories I watched, the worse it became. It felt wrong going to work, but I had to go. Once I arrived there, I couldn't concentrate on anything. There seemed to be an odd silence around the office. I didn't hear anyone talking about what had happened. I'm sure nobody wanted to be reminded of the angry ex-boyfriend of a co-worker showing up outside the building recently with a gun. The same fear I had then resonated as I thought of all these defenseless people, out for an evening of fun, lives shattered in a matter of minutes. The only person I spoke/tweeted to all day was Lynn Ferguson, who is always there for us on Twitter with This Day Today, and who shared her sadness. She baked a turkey that day, comfort food for her family, and she virtually shared that with all of us. Thank you, Lynn.
Kind hearts run in the Ferguson family. When I arrived home, my only hopeful thought was that at least Craig would be on later so that there might be something positive about this day. When I saw CBS tweet that Craig had a special message for us, I was not surprised. This is the man who has opened his heart to us many times before, every day to some extent and sometimes in a big way, talking about his life as an alcoholic, and most notably in his eulogy for his Dad. What I love most about him is his humanity and honesty. But this was different. Before, we had been able to relate to Craig and appreciate his candor when it came to his personal life. This time he spoke for all of us, joining us in experiencing the shock and pain we had been facing all day. Of course he was going to change the show that evening because of its content. He is a very responsible person. But he could have had someone else come in and make the edits. He didn't do that. He came to work. He had to talk to us, as difficult as that might be. This was not going to be a formal statement, because that's just not Craig. He always gives us much more than that. You could see sadness was weighing heavily on him. As he explained his reasons for changing the show that evening, he was careful not to completely give into his feelings, but he did use the words "rage and despair." We were right there with him. When he spoke directly to the people of Aurora and said "I'm sorry" he reached out to everyone. There was eloquence in his heartfelt message. It was the warm, comforting hug we all needed. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KvY_QbxvoLA
We won't forget the terrible events in Aurora. Our hearts and sympathies go out to everyone who was there or who lost a loved one that night. But even without actually experiencing what happened in Aurora, as Craig said "we are all diminished by this." What Craig gave us on Friday night will also stay with us. The human connection, which holds us all together at the worst of times, is valuable beyond measure. I know all this attention may make him uneasy, but I hope he gains some comfort from knowing he touched so many lives. Craig sometimes questions whether what he does makes any difference in the world. It clearly does. The stream of thank you's and kudos continues, and this is just one more. ♥
