Heavy Heart

My heart is so heavy for the Worthington community.  Once again, tragedy has impacted the students, parents and community members and, once again, I have been amazed and inspired by your strength and dedication to caring for one another.

As you are probably aware the son of Mrs. Kraft, one of our WKHS teachers, died in a tragic accident at the Worthington Hills Country Club pool.  Jude was 6 years old and had just finished Kindergarten at Bluffsview Elementary School.  I had the opportunity to meet Jude, and his sister Alivia, multiple times, but even more impactful was hearing the stories that Jude's school counselor and principal shared about what a wonderful and loving little boy he was.

There is no way that I could ever comprehend why this happened, but the reality is that nothing can bring Jude back and so we are left with the sadness, the heartache, the confusion and the hurt.  My heart breaks for every person involved - for the Kraft family, for Jude's friends, classmates and teachers, for the lifeguards and staff at the pool, and for those in the community who were enjoying the start of summer and witnessed this tragedy.  It is normal to feel lost and sad at times like this, but because this pain doesn't feel comfortable or good it is also normal to wish that there was a "quick fix" that could take it all away.  And unfortunately that doesn't exist.

So what do we do with all these feelings?  You feel them.  Express them in safe and healthy ways, find trusted people to talk to, to ask questions of, to seek support and encouragement from and to allow yourself the chance to truly feel whatever it is that you are going through.  It is ok if you don't feel anything.  Shock and numbness are natural.  It is ok if you are sad and cry.  And yes, it is ok to laugh and find joy too.  All of your feelings - happy and sad - are important and it is of the utmost importance to honor them.  Try to be patient with yourself if you have lots of different emotions.  Try to identify what it is you are feeling and why that feeling might be presenting itself for you.  And if you are struggling with the intensity of your feelings, please seek help and support.

I realize that for many students who follow my blog you may not know Mrs. Kraft, you probably didn't know Jude, you may not have been at the pool when he died, and you may not feel any connection to this tragedy, but what I will ask of you is to pick one of the adults in your life - ideally your mom or dad or guardian - and give them a big hug.  You don't have to say anything to them, just hug them.  That is a gift you will give them and it will mean more to the adults in your life than you can possibly imagine.  Mrs. Kraft would give anything to be able to hug her son tonight, but she cannot and so if we are able to celebrate and honor love through the compassion of a hug, then we are honoring Jude's life and the fact that love conquers all.

Remember that you are forever important to me and that I am here for you if there is anything I can do to help you now or in the future!