I am not a Stillwater native; I moved to Stillwater when I was 12 years old and spent the rest of my grade school years in the (sometimes) beautiful college town.
I didn’t want to move to Stillwater. My parents dragged me, kicking and screaming, to the orange and black city so my mom could get her Ph.D. at Oklahoma State.
Much to my dismay, I found myself loving the city and after only a year.
Stillwater was not always an easy town to live in, however. There were multiple tragedies in my 7 years there. My freshman year of high school, there was a suicide. My sophomore year, there was a plane crash. My senior year, there was another suicide.
Since I’ve left for college, there have been murders. Friends, mutual friends, acquaintances, and some I’ve never met, have had tragic deaths. Even if I didn’t know the victim personally, it was still impossible to ignore the long-lasting effects that each of these events had on the community.
Whatever the tragedy was, Stillwater always had this amazing way of binding together as a community to support each other. High school kids, college students, and adults would all hold hands and remember those that have been lost, and remind each other of how much our lives matter. This always amazed me.
I’ve been away from Stillwater for three years now, and hearing what happened at the Homecoming parade absolutely devastated me. I was sick to my stomach while I worried if any of my many friends who remained in Stillwater after high school were hurt. My heart broke as I heard the number of the injured continue to increase, and felt I numb when I heard about every death. I so desperately wanted to be there to mourn with the community.
Like many of us, I wanted to know…why?
Without missing a beat, the strongest city that I’ve ever lived in quickly joined together in light of the tragedy. People learned of the stories of those injured and joined in prayer for the victims, their families, the witnesses, and even the driver of the car herself. I suddenly felt at peace knowing that Stillwater is, and will always be, strong.
I may not have always been happy when I lived in Stillwater, but I always felt loved. Stillwater is where I met some of my lifelong friends. It’s where I had my first kiss, where I learned to drive a car. OSU is where I took my first college classes, where I saw diversity and generosity in both the students and the professors.
Right now I don't live in Stillwater, and I probably never will again. I won’t ever take another class at OSU, or take part in America’s greatest homecoming as a student. But Stillwater is where I grew into the person I am today. Where I learned to love. To fight. To…be.
I’m now in Waco and a very proud Baylor Bear, but part of my heart will always remain in Oklahoma.
Stillwater is where I learned to be strong, and I will always be Stillwater strong.
