The bus reached Uvalde and lumbered toward the town square.
“We’re going to pick the songs as we go,” Medrano said as everyone got out, “and do what we do.”
After the shooting, a commemorative space appeared in the square and has continued to grow. Flowers withered from the heat, piled higher and higher, with stuffed animals, candles and American flags. Messages written on signs and in sidewalk chalk. “Fly high, little angels,” she read in one.
The mariachis played “Eternal love”, a heartbreaking song that Juan Gabriel composed regarding the agony he felt losing his mother. Many recognized her from the first notes.
The heat was beginning to die down and the walnut trees filtered the intense sun. A crowd gathered around the square. Some brought lawn chairs and their dogs. A few wiped away their tears, wept silently.
However, just as Medrano had promised, the music seemed to give those gathered there a respite, even if it was only for a moment. San Miguel led some of the musicians in an instrumental version of “Amazing Grace”. He recalled the serenity he felt when the song was performed at his brother’s funeral last year.
His father, Juan Ortiz, a Grammy Award-winning singer, performed another song that many in the crowd instantly recognized: “Un día a la vez.” The consolation of the melody: the scar was not there and nobody knew when it would arrive. However, Uvalde was able to gather resilience and move on.
One day at a time, my God
and that’s what I ask of you
give me the strength to live
one day at a time
Rick Rojas is a national correspondent covering the southern United States. He has been a reporter for the Times since 2014. @RaR
Emily Rhyne is a journalist on the video team, where she shoots, edits and produces stories for multiple mediums. Before joining The Times in 2017, she worked at The New Yorker and Mashable.
