Orlando
This isn’t the post that I planned to write today.
If you follow me on any social media, you probably know that I’ve been back in Orlando for a few days now. Today, my heart hurts so much for my city.
On Friday night, I went to see some friends play at the House of Blues, and came home to news that a singer who was on The Voice was shot over at the Plaza Theatre. I’ve seen so many shows at that theater. It was heartbreaking to see such a talented young lady’s life cut short at a place where I have so many memories.
Then there was last night.
I went to see another friend’s band, got home around 1:30, collapsed into bed. Woke up around 7 to countless phone notifications. Turns out that shortly after I got home, the largest mass shooting in US history went down at Pulse, an Orlando night club. Over 50 lives lost, at least 50 more in the hospital. All because of one person who couldn’t deal with the idea of love that looked different from his definition of love.
I’ve already cried a lot of tears this morning. I’m trying not to focus on the anger I have towards these two people who have hurt my city so much. I’m trying to focus on how beautifully the community is coming together, how many people are turning up to donate blood. I’m focusing on the love.
Because until there’s a big shift in how we approach violence, tolerance, and so many other things, I feel like focusing on love is the best I can do.