There are no right words to choose in this situation, so I am just going to come out with it: what happened Friday night in Bethesda sucks.
It is absolutely horrific, sickening, maddening, unjustifiable, and unfair beyond belief. I hope that whomever is to blame is found, put on trial, and brought to justice.
Jayna was a wonderful, energetic, positive, active, smart, amazing person. And it is just not fair that her life had to end so abrubtly and unjustly.
But even in the darkest and cloudiest of situations where all you want to believe is that humanity is atrocious, there is a tiny glimmer of light. Here, it is in the form of the community’s outpouring of love and concern.
In the immediate aftermath, a Bethesda business donated $10,000 to Crime Solvers in addition to the $1,000 already offered in the investigation.
Messages of condolences from the store’s fans poured in on lululemon Bethesda’s Facebook page. Dozens and dozens of Jayna’s friends have been writing message of love and gratitude for her life since Saturday evening.
On Saturday, someone left a laminated note on Logan Circle’s lululemon storefront, with a picture of a candle flame and a message to “stay strong.”
On Sunday, lululemon Bethesda store ambassador Greg Marzullo dedicated his Fusion yoga class to “the tragedy” – leading 108 rounds of 108 rounds of “Lokah Samasta Sukhino Bhavantu”, or “May All Beings Everywhere Be Free From Suffering.”
And Kimberly Wilson hosted a healing class for lululemon employees on Sunday evening in her studio on Arlington, VA studio – the town where Jayna resided.
For those of you who don’t know Jayna, you can get a glimpse of the kind of person she was from this Washington Post article about her.
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I cannot speak for anyone else but myself when I say this, but I think the most that the most we can hope for while we are on this earth – no matter how long or short our time here – is that we get the chance to express all of the life that is inside of us. We don’t know how long we have here, and we can’t really understand why we are here, or why some people get to live longer lives than others… but all we can do is try to live a full life while we have this time.
In a very bittersweet way, the lululemon manifesto message rings true here, “Do it now.” Whatever it is you want to, do it now because it is your chance to express yourself, to reach a goal, to be great, and to be the best version of you possible.
Jayna had a remarkable energy and love for living, and was clearly dedicated to making the most of herself and her time here. To me, the message of her life is to be the best person you are meant to be, and live the life you choose everyday.
And judging by the community’s reaction to the loss of her life, the message of her life was heard loud and clear.
Thank you for being an inspiration, Jayna.
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We’ve been getting some messages and emails from members of the yoga and fitness communities asking how they can be of help, and it has been completely amazing and inspiring to feel the outpouring of love and desire to honor this life.
If anyone would like to host – or has any information on – a yoga, fitness, or community gathering dedicated to Jayna, please post in the comments below. We will aggregate the information and place in a follow-up post and publish it on our Facebook page to help inform the community.
Stay tuned.
Update 3/14 @6pm: An investigation is currently underway – and a $136,000 award is currently being offered – to find who committed the terrible and senseless act. If you have any info regarding the incident you are urged to contact the Homicide/Sex Section at 240-773-5070. Those who wish to remain anonymous may call Crime Solvers of Montgomery County toll-free at 1-866-411-TIPS (8477) or 240-773-TIPS (8477).
Note: Because of the sensitive nature of this issue, comments on this post will be moderated. Thanks.
Posted by: Kelly
