Just recently, a family member of mine told me that two of our good friends, who attended high school with us, were recently murdered. When I first moved to Selma in 2000, these individuals were the first to welcome us, show us the ropes of Selma High and the town, and were the first to start the tradition of sitting outside beside the big tree near the steps of the school’s auditorium.

Needless to say, the news devastated me. I just saw one of the persons the other day while I was out to lunch; the person asking when I was going to write another column for the week.

In just a matter of moments, a person can be here one minute and gone the next. The person who smiled in your face and gave encouraging words just days ago, is now gone from the earth — leaving behind grieving family and friends.

Though I don’t know all of the details of the week’s incidents, I am disheartened by the occurrence of violence. Why must another young person die at the hands of a gun?

It’s been pretty quiet in the newsroom lately concerning shootings and murders and though that is a positive, murder and merciless killings are going on in other places.

You never know when it is your last day on earth. You never know when the goodbye of the day will be your last one.

We always take for granted that when we kiss our loved one good night or say “I’ll see you later,” that we will see them the next day. We take for granted that people we’ve seen years ago, or while growing up, will be around even in their older years.

Someone today is without a son, a daughter, a mother or even a father because of senseless violence. Those individuals are undoubtedly experiencing a loss that over time may heal, but the wound will never be closed completely.

Why must another father or another sister have to deal with the tragedy of a shooting?

Gun violence must stop. We must somehow find a way to make it stop.