Seattle Seahawks: Healing Wounded Hearts

The tragic shooting at Marysville-Pilchuck High School last Friday that left the shooter and two other youngsters dead and three more in the hospital, is a stark reminder of how fleeting life can be. As a community tries to come to grips with what has happened and begins the slow process of healing, those of us who weren’t directly affected try to find ways to help with that healing process, with gestures both big and small.

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As they did after the Oso landslide that claimed 43 lives in March, the Seahawks organization stepped up. The football team at Marysville was supposed to meet Oak Harbor in a game with playoff implications the night of the shooting.. With the game cancelled because of the tragedy, the Oak Harbor team made the decision to forfeit the game and settled for 2nd place, giving Marysville 1st place.

Like the rest of us, the Seahawks wanted to do something to help. They reached out to the WIAA with the offer that each team be allowed a practice one day this week at the Virginia Mason Athletic Complex (VMAC) home of the Seattle team. After getting the go-ahead,  the Marysville-Pilchuck team arrived by bus yesterday for their practice. Greeted by staff members, they worked out at VMAC,  in a safe environment. The media was barred from entering the facililty to film or interview the kids. Oak Harbor will have their own practice later this week.

To some this may seem like a small and perhaps meaningless gesture, however it is at least a step towards normalcy that is much  needed. I have never lost a loved one to this kind of violence, but I did lose my father and two siblings to cancer. What I longed for in all three cases was normalcy. Things that seem mundane in the regular day to day routine become a life line to what seems normal and is an important first step in the healing process.

So, a tip of the helmet and a big thank you to the Seattle Seahawks.  For these wounded children it is a  small step that will take them down the road where eventually, grief is no longer the centerpiece of their lives.