#dear danwon

[deardanwon]

Children who were pretty as flowers Children at an age as pretty as flowers They flew away like flower petals

If your hands let it go, you will lose it If your thoughts forget it, you will forget it

[deardanwon]

Dear Danwon High School,

It has been exactly one year since you faced a heartbreaking tragedy. On April 16, 2014, three hundred twenty-five of your junior class boarded a ferry for Jeju Island, but only seventy five students returned.

This field trip was supposed to be a nice break from the stress and pressure of school, a time to relax before taking the college entrance exam.

Now these students will never take the exam, nor will they ever go to college. These students were future policemen, teachers, doctors… They all had dreams, and they will never be able to follow those dreams.

Thank you to all the heroes who did all that they could to save whoever they could. Your courage and selflessness will never be forgotten.

Danwon High School, if there is anything you have learned from this tragedy, it should be that you are not alone. You will never be alone. The entire world mourned the loss of innocent youth. To this day, there are still students lost at sea and parents who don't have closure as to what happened to their children. We stand by the staff, teachers, family, and friends of those affected by the Sewol tragedy. We will never forget.

Saying goodbye to a loved one is hard. Saying goodbye to two hundred fifty precious lives is even harder.

You will always be in our hearts, our angels in heaven.

[deardanwon]

Words cannot express my sorrow for what has happened. Sending my love, support, and prayers from Seattle, Washington.  Wishing you peace to bring comfort, courage to face the days ahead, and loving memories to forever hold in your hearts.

Love,

Jennifer M.

[deardanwon]

Warm wishes and enormous amounts of love from Los Angeles,

Whether you are a mother, father, brother, sister, aunt, uncle, or friend, this tragedy has shaken the world to its core. Few things can affect the entire world like this event has done. As a student myself, I cannot imagine returning to a school with so many of my friends not there. And that is why I am praying for all of you every single day. I am praying that God can mend your broken hearts and allow all of you to find joy in this current sea of sadness. I pray that all of you can grow together in the midst of this tragedy and to remember your friends' not for how they died, but how they lived. I'm sure all of your friends were amazing people, and they deserve to be celebrated! Let the world know that Danwon is not drowning in sorrows butgrowing with love for your friends that passed away. You are all so incredibly strong, and I thank you for the inspiration all of you are to me each and every single day. 

God Bless,

Your fellow student

[deardanwon]

Dear Danwon, My deepest condolences. I might not have gone through what you may be going through right now. All I can say is everything will be okay. I might not have experienced what you experienced with this incident of losing a friend, a family, a classmate, teacher, or student. But I have been through the lose of a loved one that was taken from me too soon. And even though it wasn't my fault that they were taken from me, I still blamed myself for it. So, please don't do what I did. I blamed myself, closed myself out to everyone, acted as though I was fine during the day but at night I would cry. I just want to tell you that it's okay to cry, to be angry, and it's okay to talk about it and ask for help. It's never good to keep things to yourself because all that it'll do is turn you into someone that you wish you never were. My only advise to help you get through this is talk it out, but if you're like me and have difficulty expressing yourself then find something you enjoy. Even if it allows you to be happy, to smile and laugh for a moment just stay with it. Be strong, M.H

[deardanwon]

Fighting

[deardanwon]

Dear Danwon Families & Friends,

I cannot possibly imagine all you are going through right now. I myself have very little family but those that I lost went peacefully. I don't think there is anyone on Earth with the right to compare their pain to yours. Every person is different and precious. I pray everyday that some miracle will happen for all of you. It may be impossible to return your loved ones to you, but I hope for a miracle that will allow you to move on with your life happily and in a way that will bring pride, happiness, and peace to those you have lost. I also pray no other family ever has to experience anything so horrible. I don't know any of you and I didn't know your children, but I think of you and pray for you everyday, and will do so for the rest of my life.

Love and Condolences

From my heart,

Tiffani Devault

Reading, PA, USA

[deardanwon]

Dear Danwon~

This tragedy hurts my heart. I wish there were more I could do to help everyone affected by what has happened. Nobody should have to feel this sense of pain and loss, of fear and confusion.

When I think about how everyone on the ferry must have felt my heart shatters into a million little pieces and I feel so empty. When I think about how the survivors must feel, or the families and friends of the people lost, I cry. I truly cry. That kind of pain is so lonely and so severe. I wish I could take away everyone's pain and keep it as my own so that all of you can smile and be happy again.

I am grieving with your country. Not because I like Kpop but because such a catastrophe should impact everyone. People are people and this loss is painful.

Please give me some of your pain to carry as my own. I wish I could ease your suffering even a little. Time goes on and those lost will never be forgotten but every day it will be a little easier to face the day. It is my hope that eventually the smiles can come back to your faces and that the pain will subside from your hearts.

My heart goes out to all of you. I give my love to each of you. Stay strong. Stay brave. And one day the sun will shine in your heart again.

-Audrey Gladys Davis