The Story of Duke

Three years ago next month, I hosted my friend Elizabeth Passarella in my shop to celebrate the release of her second book, It Was an Ugly Couch Anyway. I had just opened Heirloom Artifacts the previous December, and this would be our first author event. I rented chairs from a local wedding vendor and positioned them into rows in the parking lot in front of the shop entry. As people visiting the adjacent businesses passed by, more than one remarked, “Looks like you’re hosting a revival.” “Maybe I am!” Little did I know, my little revival was waiting for me on my coffee table at home.

For several reasons, I have never written about March 27, 2023. Most of the time, it does feel like my story to tell. That day, three years ago, there was a school shooting in Nashville, and it devastated our community in a way that only those who have been through the same experience could ever fathom. The group texts, the continuous streaming news feeds, the names of those confirmed to be alive, and then the names of those confirmed to be dead. The world as we knew it would never be the same. Three adults and three children walked into a school building that morning and never walked out. Six families lost a loved one, and an entire community mourned.