The trial is over, remember Stella well

Painting by Laura Loe on the Harvey family memorial page

The trial is over. The murderer has been sentenced to die for killing the children, Stella and Ruby Harvey. While others applaud the just sentence and find in it triumph, or find an opportunity to make some political point, I’ll pass on both accounts.

Today, I’m glad the ordeal of the trial is behind us. While some seem fascinated with the depravity of the wicked culprit’s deeds, I’ll not write his name in this space; I don’t use his name in conversation.

Today, I’m glad the evidence from the trial will now be packed up and no one who loved the lost Harvey family will ever have to look at any of it again. Closure? I’ll pass on using that word to define the moment, too. It’s a word I find to be utterly useless in a situation such as this. Furthermore, I won’t let the media, or anyone who thinks they know best, tell me how to view the crime, or its aftermath.

Today, what I’ll do as best I can is move on.

In moving on I will always see the Harveys as they were at their best, without trying to conjure up how they looked in those last terrible minutes. The only thought I have on that horrific scene is this -- I’ve chosen to believe the four Harveys remained brave and felt the vibe of one another’s love to the very end.

Instead on dwelling on the evil that swept through the Harveys’ Woodland Heights home on Jan. 1st, and forever wondering why, I’m going to remember the butterflies that Stella Harvey’s classmates at William F. Fox School released at the dedication ceremony for the Harvey Family Memorial Garden.

Below is another look at SLANTblog's post for that day, a beautiful day to remember, June 15th:
A soccer ball rolled toward the fence ... a boy running away from it, toward the school building ... it was almost 2 p.m. The running boy was being called to join his classmates. The students, faculty and the school’s can-do PTA were all assembling on the front steps. At William F. Fox Elementary School a garden graced with sculpture created by the community mentioned above was dedicated. The songs sung by the children were poignant. At the end butterflies were released into the perfect sunlit sky; Painted Lady butterflies according to rising second-grader Sam Knox.The children were fine. Those adults who wept stayed in the shadows, if they could, during the brave celebration. Most of the grownups were fine, too, familiar faces smiling. The Harvey Family Memorial Garden was dedicated. If the reader doesn't know why this all took place, to read more about the Harvey family and why the ceremony, click here.

Photo: SLANT