I didn’t expect a normal Sunday morning started with beeping of many email alerts on my phone. It was from the email threads from YLFer friends that I heard the sad news about the shooting of Gabby and other innocent people in Arizona. I was completely shocked.  It turned out to be the headline of all major news sites, even the headlines of Sina.com.cn later this morning.

Gabby was a YLF 2003 Fellow, and so was her husband Mark Kelly. They met each other via the Young Leader’s Forum in Huanshan in 2003. Thier marriage was among the few other unexpected, wonderful side effects of the US-China relationship program. It is also rare that both persons of a couple are friends of the same group of people.

With the strong personal connection within the small YLF community, we felt so sad for Gabby and Mark. Besides the emails, the 8 Shanghai based (and visiting) YLF just gathered in Lujiazui to send our sympathy, support and prayers. The same gather happens in NYC.

It will take me more time to understand the whole situation, how it happened, and why, but it does not require too much thoughts to immediately feel the pain, shock, and sadness, when the person involved is someone you know, and greatly admire of.

I was angry to see the typical comments on some Shanghai forums who expressed some kind of “joy”when something bad happens in America. It is a shame for the persons who wrote it. It is a global community and everyone on both side of the ocean should make the personal commitment to fight against the senseless violence like this. China is also not unfamiliar with tragedy with completely innocent people involved. We should stop this violence no matter at what reason, at what country.

I just hope Gabby could be fine very soon.