Kimberly Garza grew up going to the river, which depending on the day and her familyโs mood could have meant the banks of one of a few bodies of water: the Frio, the Sabinal, or the Neuces. All three rivers are in close proximity to Garzaโs hometown of Uvalde, Texas:
RIVERS ARE PLACES OF FORGETTING,ย of memory. But they are also places of healing.
The use of rivers and water in therapeutic practices is millennia old, employed by nearly every Indigenous culture known around the world. The term โriver therapyโ refers to the practice of swimming in a river or walking near one and drawing positive benefits and relief from the space and its elements. River sounds are used in relaxation training systems to soothe and calm people. Studies have shown that just listening to a river can alleviate stress.
The term โspaโ derives from the Latin phraseย sanitas per aquasโโ health through water.โ
UVALDE IS NO LONGERย known for rivers but for tragedy. We are part of a terrible tradition of Texas towns with this fate, among places like Santa Fe, El Paso, Sutherland Springs, and Allen. Since the massacre of May 24, 2022โthe murder of 19 children and two teachers at Robb Elementaryโwe have seen our unraveling, our sorrow and our rage, broadcast to the world. We have watched our townโs name, the names of our neighbors and families and friends, carried on a current farther away from us. We grieve, even today. Some part of Uvalde always will.
But the rivers are still here, the moments of respite in the waters around us.
I hope the healing is coming, too.
After yesterdays's expulsion of two Tennessee state lawmakers โ Rep. Justin Jones (D) and Rep. Justin Pearson (D) โ for leading gun control rallies following the Nashville shooting, a third lawmaker involved in the demonstrations explains why she was spared the axe. โ Read the rest
How does a parent answer a childโs questions about school shootings? For instance: Why does this keep happening? Will it happen to me? If it does, will I be OK? Writer Meg Conley, a mother of three, describes the agony of not having all the answers:
After the second shooting at East High School, we started talking about homeschooling. Itโs not the first time weโve had the conversation. But my kids love lunchtime, talking in the halls, learning new things from new teachers, school plays and after-school clubs. Being separated from those things during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic affected them in ways I still find frightening to contemplate. Forming community with people who are not part of their household is a vital part of their lives. There are just some things that canโt be replicated in the home.
One night in New York City, I sat in between my two oldest daughters as they watched their first Broadway play,ย Funny Girl. The play opened with Fanny Brice, played by Julie Benko, sitting in front of a mirror, looking at herself before she says, โHello, gorgeous.โ When she said those words, most of the audience knew what was coming, so they cheered. But my girls didnโt, so they politely clapped. I watched them watch the play, with wide eyes. By the end of the show, they loved Brice. They loved Benko. When she started to sing the reprise of โDonโt Rain on My Parade,โ the girls understood what had been and what was coming. They cheered with everyone else. They became part of the community in that room.
We were wandering through the Met museum when my daughter got a text from another friend. It was just a link to a news story. Her middle school principal had gone to the media. There is a child at her school that wasย recently chargedย with attempted first-degree murder and illegal discharge of a firearm. That child doesnโt need incarceration; the child needs help. But teachers are not trained to give that help. The district rejected the schoolโs request that the student be moved to online schooling. Instead, the child goes to school every day and receives a daily pat down from untrained school staff before going to class. This student is on the same safety plan as the student who shot two deans before spring break. My daughter showed me the text and asked again, โWhat are we going to do?โ
My two oldest girls went to see a preview of the new musicalย New York, New Yorkย with their dad that night. I stayed behind with their youngest sister. Sheโs too young for Broadway, but nearly old enough to be killed at school.