Already posted on the Prayer-Free Mourning thread, but I am repeating the relevant excerpt here:

I went out Friday night to escape the news which I couldn't turn off, and kind of see how the Day of Mourning was being observed around Charlottesville.

After a couple of Irish whiskies I wandered back up the Downtown Mall to where there would normally have been a Zydeco band for this week's Fridays After Five, and came upon a rather impromptu-looking candlelight vigil. There were boxes and boxes of candles around with a note saying Take one if you need one. Someone looked at me and said those exact words and I gave up trying not to weep, took one, and went and sat down next to a beautiful, big dog. I asked the guardian's permission and then sat there, leaking brain chemicals, patting the dog and being mightily comforted. There were groups of people, individuals, holding candles, some singing, many children playing in the amphitheater for poignant contrast. At one point as I sat there staring at my candle and trying not to wax my fingers some feet came over from a group that I think was the one that had been singing America the Beautiful. I just sat and got wetter, tears streaming down my face as they had been for most of the candle by then; eventually a knee appeared on the grass and a voice said If you need a hug, I've got an extra one… I turned and just let go, sobbing uninhibitedly for a while. Eventually I stopped actually sobbing, gave my Samaritan a hug back without ever looking up, and went back to quietly leaking brain chemicals. The dog's kind guardian then nudged the big animal back to me (whom I think had left for the noise), and let me pat the dog for a while longer. They stayed till I started looking around for kleenex and a second candle, a nice, nice pair.