What tragedy the Bluffton University bus crash was.

My thoughts and prayers go out to everyone involved.

It’s sad that those students have to learn such a harsh lesson of life at such a tender age. They are still of the mindset that they are invincible. How humbling when we find out we are not.

Even though the campus is 30 minutes away, it might as well be 3 minutes.

The story was the main thrust of news in Atlanta Friday, also. My sister, Bec, and her husband, Bob, recently moved to the Atlanta area and are familiar with the section of the I-75 in which the crash occurred. They said it was a very complicated area. It has a double four leaf clover with entrance and exit ramps all over the place.

The outpouring of support from around the country for the players, coaches, the bus drivers, all their families and the school was affirming of our ability to put aside our own troubles and come to the aid of others. An airline flew the parents from Ohio to Atlanta at no charge. That is an unbelievable gift to some, who if they had not been offered this opportunity, may have had to spend hours on the road traveling to reach their loved ones.

The crash involves a lot of people, not just the 35 on the bus. Parents and families waited anxiously for news of their loved ones while pictures and newcasts bombarded the waves. Some got good news, others bad.

I can’t imagine that time of uncertainty. As a parent my heart weeps for them.

Bluffton, know that people everywhere have you in their thoughts and prayers. We are here for you. We feel your pain.

In the days and weeks to come, I hope for comfort, understanding and, in time, peace and healing for everyone.