There's not much I can—or want to—add to the story of the latest school shooting, the tragedy in Amish country. There are a few unusual things about this event that are worth paying attention to, however. Some quotes from the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review story that randomly showed up in my mailbox this morning (thanks to the Google news alert I have set for "midwife Pittsburgh") highlight some of the differences between this and your run-of-the-mill (ghastly thought) school shooting.
The Lancaster County Amish community released a statement through the state police thanking police and firefighters for controlling all the traffic -- often lethal to Amish riding in slow, black buggies -- that has clogged the rural roads around the schoolhouse this week.
They also asked to be left alone to grieve.
"Please respect our privacy. The media frenzy and the hordes of outside people have not been appreciated. We don't know or understand why this happened, but we do believe God allowed this to happen. For the rest of us, our lives will go on," the statement said.
School administrators there didn't tell the children about the shooting, preferring to let parents decide how best to break the news. (my emphasis)The small, tight-knit Amish community will bury four of the girls today and a fifth on Friday, said Rita Rhodes, a Mennonite midwife who helped deliver two of the girls.
For the funerals, as is Amish custom, the partitions on the main floor of the families' homes will be removed and two rows of benches -- one for men and one for women -- will be placed inside. The service lasts about two hours, Rhodes said.
Rhodes said the girls' families are despondent but are being helped by family and friends.
"And it's not just that their family and friends are around. It's the faith inside themselves," she said. "Both sets of families expressed to me that they are so glad their daughter is not suffering. ... They're also very thankful that they didn't have to go through any abuse, like the man had intended to do to them. They're really, really thankful.
"They have forgiven the shooter, and that's amazing," she said.
