Community Corner

Columbine Survivor Says Grieving is a 'Long, Long Journey'

Crystal Woodman Miller spoke Sunday at Cavalry Chapel of Southbury.


Crystal Woodman Miller survived the mass shooting at Columbine High School in 1999. On Sunday, at Cavalry Chapel of Southbury, she shared her story of survival and offered hope and comfort to those who continue to grieve following the horrific school shooting in Newtown on Dec. 14.

Miller said she was honored to speak with the congregation and was awed by the local communities and their reaction to the recent tragedy.

“I’ve watched this part of the country on the news the past few weeks and found and seen people of kindness, tenderness and sensitivity,”she said.

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Miller, who is the mother of a 19-month-old daughter and pregnant with a second child, said she grieves during every tragedy, but that the events at Sandy Hook Elementary School struck a much deeper cord.

As she prayed with the congregation she told them to feel comfortable with however they are dealing with this tragedy and to accept the grieving process in any form it may come to them.

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“As you mourn, as you grieve, there is no proper way to do that," Miller said. "No one can tell you how to grieve or what that looks like. This is a long, long journey that is just beginning.”

On Monday, she visited the Sandy Hook Volunteer Fire Company and the Newtown Police Station, before heading back to Colorado.

To listen to Miller’s full speech visit the Cavalry Chapel of Southbury website.


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