‘You’re the reason we’re here’

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Many aspects of mass shootings, tragically, follow a familiar pattern. The missed warning signs , the horror and confusion, the enduring pain — in some ways, the Oct. 25 shooting in Lewiston has fit into that pattern.

In at least one powerful example, however, the Lewiston community is diverging from what America has come to expect with these horrific events. While, as reported by the Lewiston Sun Journal , most mass shooting sites don’t reopen, the owners of Just-In-Time Recreation are eschewing that trend and helping their community to heal in the process.

This decision is as inspiring as it surely is difficult, providing yet another example of the resilience of the greater Lewiston community. The power of this decision was on display last Friday, when owners Samantha and Justin Juray reopened their business with the help of survivors, victims’ families, local and state leaders, and other community members.

“You’re the reason,” owner Justin Juray said to the crowd last week. “You’re the reason we’re here.”

Six months ago, on what should have been just another Wednesday night, a man walked into that bowling alley and took 10 lives there, before taking eight more at Schemengees Bar and Grille. But that hateful act, though it took so much from so many, could not take away this community gathering place.

Reopening the bowling alley is a powerful act of reclamation, recognizing that healing is a continued process, and that the process can make strides forward when people come together to support each other.

There’s not much we can say to add to the moving words from last week’s event, but we can celebrate them and the people who, under unimaginable circumstances, are helping Lewiston and the entire state to heal. Like the survivors and victims’ families who were part of the reopening.

“It was definitely like being at home again,” survivor Johnathan Moore told TV station WGME . “It’s a home away from home.”

Two of the people killed at the bowling alley were Robert Violette and his wife, Lucille Violette. He was a volunteer coach, and they were at Just-In-Time Recreation on Oct. 25 for a youth bowling night. Their positive impact didn’t end that night, however. Their family has founded the Bob and Lucy Violette Bowling Foundation to continue supporting young bowlers.

A Facebook post from the foundation ahead of last week’s reopening encouraged people to attend and support the event, saying it “will be difficult, but also a new beginning.” There will also be a new beginning with every scholarship and every young bowler the foundation helps.

As Lewiston Mayor Carl Sheline said Friday, the Jurays’ decision to reopen was both “bittersweet and courageous” at the same time.

“Day by day, we continue to work through grief and heal little by little, and today we have a reason to smile,” Sheline said. “If Justin and Samantha had permanently closed these doors, we would have understood, but instead they chose to recreate a space for community gatherings.”

Also present at Friday’s gathering was Tom Giberti, one of the heroes of that terrible day in October whose actions saved several children at the bowling alley he managed for years.

“I’ve been here over 20 years,” Giberti, who was shot several times that night, told WGME at the reopening. “It’s not like I’m gonna give up on it yet.”

That refusal to give up, from Giberti and everyone else, is yet another form of heroism. It’s a quiet but strong act of defiance that shows how connection and celebration can always shine through the most divisive and destructive moments.

Gov. Janet Mills was among the hundreds of people celebrating the reopening as well.

“Just-In-Time Recreation Center is a place where people can gather to celebrate birthdays and to bowl with their children, unwinding from a long day at work or celebrating the weekend with laughter and love,” Mills said last week. “It is a place that brings people together. As Samantha said, ‘People come in here as strangers, but they leave as friends and family.’”

Six months ago, this place of celebration and togetherness became a place of horror. The normalcy of a Wednesday night was shattered. This decision to reopen, however, can help in the ongoing work to put those pieces back together. Every birthday party, every new bowler who learns to love the game, and every joyful moment experienced at Just-In-Time Recreation will validate the quiet courage of choosing to reopen and reclaim this place for the Lewiston community.