Thoughts and Prayers for Gabby et alia

I overheard my husband and eldest talking about a shooting earlier today in Arizona. But even when I heard it was a congress woman I didn’t make the connection that it was Gabby until I saw a post to the Scripps College community saying that she would be in all of our prayers. I was quick to google what had happened to my former computer consultant. Apparently so was the rest of the nation. The live feed for Gabby was being updated every ten seconds with some tweet, blog or kvetch from the political stratosphere. It was overwhelming to see and read the sound bytes. Even had I not known this young woman at the start of my own career, I would have been taken aback by the intensity of the pundits as well as her peers.

Facebook groups were spawning up by the hour … from the reproachable RIP Gabriel Gifford which hopefully has received enough abuse reports by now for the powers at be at FB to take down, to the outpouring of her constituents and all those touched by her story.

And then there are those like myself, who sit back in our armchair and say things like “I knew Gabby when ….” Gabby was one of my student computer consultants, back when the internet was merely a Gopher and Gabby was a pioneer wading into the surf and defining what it meant to be a tech savvy woman of the 90’s.  I see from reading about her career that she has continued to pave the way and shine the light back for all of us.

Dear sweet Gabby, you are in my thoughts and prayers tonight.