Jill's Journal: It was supposed to be a weekend of...

By: 
Jill Meier, Journal editor
When I sat down to write this week’s column, I figured I’d be writing about some sort of light-hearted moment that occurred during my weekend visit to Mom’s. And yes, there were those moments. Take for instance her indecisiveness as to whether or not we should take in the Belgian waffle fundraiser after church on Sunday. 
“They’re good,” she told me in one sentence, followed by a description of the various fruit and syrup toppings that accompanied them. And in the next breath, “Well, they’re not that good. I don’t know if we should go or not.”
I told her she was funny and that she’d probably read about that moment – and others - in my next column. We all need a good laugh, after all. And time spent with Mom oftentimes brings a few laughs.
But as the weekend unfolded, things became not so funny. Shortly after I had returned to Brandon on late Sunday afternoon, Mom called to tell me that my nephew, Ben, had been at the hospital for most of the day and was being airlifted to Rochester, Minn. We didn’t know much at that point, and apparently medical staff in his town’s hospital realized that he needed more extensive care. What we did learn though, is if he hadn’t sought medical attention, he may not be here today.
I was able to talk with Ben last night. His voice was soft, he was weak but optimistic. Or maybe doing his best to put on a “brave face” for his worried Aunt Jill. We talked about what symptoms led him to this point and about his two young sons, Connor and Cameron, and how they’re coping with their absent daddy.
“You need to come home, Dad,” he told me was the directive from his youngest, Cameron.
“I will, buddy,” he assured. “I will.”
On Monday morning, I, like all you, awoke to a barrage of news reports about the unbelievable tragedy that had unfolded hours before in Las Vegas. A senseless mass shooting. Hundreds of innocent victims injured. And 59 innocent people’s lives taken in the blink of an eye. All enjoying a country concert outdoors alongside friends and family. 
As the day unfolded, I, like all of you, learned the Brandon community had a direct connection – actually several direct connections - to this unconceivable act. I learned of our local connections to this tragedy through Facebook posts, and I reached out to a few of them. As you read on page one, Brian Wills and his wife, Cindy, were among the group of Brandon people in the Las Vegans concert crowd Sunday evening. Brian, as you know by now, was one of the hundreds struck by the senseless gunfire. Another in the group sustained an injury during the mass exodus but wasn’t ready to speak publically, and I surely respect their privacy. I wasn’t there. And there’s no way that I will every fully understand the sheer terror of what they’ve had to endure. It was, after all, supposed to be a weekend of light-hearted moments with good friends filled with good times.
And in the blink of an eye, life as we know it, changed.
Perhaps Brian Wills said it best in a recent television news report: “If we just care for each other in these times, these situations, and these incidents, I mean that’s all we can do at that time, and then hug our families when we get home.”
 
Congratulations, Lady Lynx soccer!
Congratuations are in order for the Lady Lynx soccer team, who for the first time in program history, are gunning their way through the post-season playoffs! A victory Tuesday night over O’Gorman advances them to Saturday’s Class AA state finals in Aberdeen. Go, Lynx! 

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The Brandon Valley Journal

 

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