The saying that no one is free until we are all free is seared deeply in my mind. That it shouldn’t have to been this way, with vigilance now as an ethos, stays deeply in my mind. That eight people, 6 of them Asian would be killed for no reason, also seats deeply in my mind. That they were working hard for a livelihood, at a place where rest should be the norm, burrows a hole deeply in my mind. That I imagine they felt protected, maybe even secured, with each other, is etched deeply in my mind. I imagine they fought to live, fought to claim their rightful place in the land of the living, in a place of rest, breaks my heart in pieces. I imagine their eyes, the look of disbelief, the look of shock, maybe even awe, not for the killer but for life, breaks my heart in pieces. I imagine they did their part to ensure we remember their names, and not the cowardly act of a fool who shall not be named. I imagine them free, from all the pain this world gives. Free from all the attack, free from all the hate. Just free.

Though they are gone, love will conquer the hate they tried to sow deep in our minds. Love will heal and put back the broken pieces of our heart. Love will free them all. One after the other, love is all I have left, with all 8 of them now buried deeply in my mind.