skip to main |
skip to sidebar
A Night Out With Susan Love
When you lose a loved one to violence, the enduring heartache is something you walk with wherever you go.
So it is with our very own Susan Love, who lost her son and only child Phillip to a senseless act of criminal aggression in January 2007. And while three years might seem like enough time to take some of the edge off that pain, those who feel it in the first-person will attest that no amount of passing time has any meaningful mitigating effect upon the damage done to a broken heart.
The victimization doesn’t really end, either. The sense of loss, of course, is incalculable. But now, after three years, comes the court case, where those accused of murdering Phillip Love have their day in court, and face the judgement of the criminal justice system. And all of that pain rises again to the surface, to be dealt with once more, only this time against a backdrop of adversarial argument to establish the guilt or innocence of the perpetrators and defendants.
To lose a loved one, then having to listen to those who had a hand in it make every attempt to evade responsibility. Life, at times, can be extremely challenging.
The trial is in Halifax, Nova Scotia, the very place where Phillip’s life was ended. Murder trials, as you might well guess, can drag on for quite a while. And so, in addition to the pain caused by the trial itself, there comes the added financial burden of travel and accommodation.
Sheilagh Mackenzie, a co-worker of Susan’s at St. Joseph’s Catholic High School, thought that maybe something might be done to help alleviate some of the costs associated with traveling back and forth to Halifax for the trial. Phillip Love, you see, just happened to be the best man at Sheilagh and Mark’s wedding.
And so a gathering was organized, at a local restaurant here in Renfrew, where family, friends, staff, and students could meet in solidarity with Susan, spend some time with her, listen to some great entertainment, and contribute to a good cause. We were also fortunate to meet Yvonne Harvey, and her partner Gary Lindfield. Yvonne’s daughter Chrissy was murdered in Newfoundland the same month as Susan lost Phillip, and she knows best how Susan feels, sharing a bond that only those similarly victimized could ever fully appreciate. The two of them, Susan and Yvonne, hope to breathe life into a Canadian chapter of Parents of Murdered Children, a support group for those who have suffered the loss of a child through homicide.
The music was flat-out fantastic. The foursome of Collin Carnegie, John Legris, Liam Melville and Riley Wedderburn rocked the place, giving a full value performance that enhanced the atmosphere, giving it the feel of a big-city club.
About $2400.00 was raised through the effort, with many thanks extended to all those who lent their time, effort, talent, and generosity towards making the evening a smash hit.
It was good to get out and experience the St. Joseph’s community in a way somewhat different from the norm. And consistent with all other times when this community gathers, in whole or in part, everyone leaves the better for it, knowing that they’ve spent time with people who care.
It’s times like these that one gets the most profound sense of being part of an extended family. And what a wonderful feeling that is.