Dear secularists trying to make sense of the V Tech shootings, I'm writing to extend a humanist hand and to tell you in honesty and compassion that we are all-the religious and the non-religious alike, trying to make sense of and cope with this event. Now is not the time to become angered at the lack of secular ceremonies, but the time to peacefully and amicably recognize our commonalities. Our shaken sense of security sends us searching for terra firma, and for some, solace lies in religious congregation. We humanists and non-religious can understand and respect this reaction. Perhaps we feel somewhat ignored because we seem to be offered fewer outlets-but we should remember that we have options. We can participate in the religious ceremonies, and take from them what applies to us. We can toss out the bath water, but not the baby, and we can take the references to pious perseverance as a metaphor. Also, we can find and create our own outlets. We can meet and talk with one another here, and on similar niche forums (Godless Grief is one such example). The Secular Student Alliance can provide you with an outlet by publishing your essays on secular mourning (simply submit written work to ssa@secularstudents.org) we would love to publish these in our electronic news letter titled 'eMpirical' which goes to nearly 3,000 like-minded students around the world. Here is a recent piece on the shootings at V. Tech that we ran.  I hope this helps you find your voice, and is also intended to encourage you to work side by side with those of faith to deal with this immense loss. -Alison