Now that the names have been released, I want to say that I can not imagine how poor Tripp Wylie is doing. I can’t imagine losing my closest friends and living through that or like that. I can’t fathom what he’s thinking or feeling.
Or Andrew Rhea, who was at the house himself and lost his younger brother William. Thinking about losing my brother in any way, never mind in such a devastating way, makes me physically sick. I thought I was going to throw up through the all of Monday’s press conference.
Emily Yelton’s sister lost her twin. Her mom was quoted in the Greenville News as saying she had lost half of herself.
I’ve talked with friends who didn’t know the victims, and those who did. Everyone agrees on the fact that as a the loss of a sibling is the only thing close to losing a child—and even that is a distant second.
There’s really nothing that can be said to pay tribute or commemorate the lives of those lost. No words can capture the loss the schools, the families or the friends feel. There is nothing to express the horror of this tragedy.
My grandmother has said many times over the years, “The hardest thing about death is the living.” My thoughts and prayers are with families and friends.
Katie Jones
Staff writer
