WOODSTOCK – Julie Gibson provided a fitting musical finish to a night that took a painful look back and a hopeful look forward.

“When the day is long and the night is longer still,” Gibson sang shortly after the gathering in Woodstock Square lit their candles. “I’m going to sing my wounded heart well.”

Gibson followed a series of short speeches at the 22nd Judicial Circuit Family Violence Coordinating Council’s candlelight vigil Wednesday night. The vigil is held each October – Domestic Violence Awareness Month – to pay tribute to those who’ve suffered from domestic violence and to increase awareness of its prevalence and potentially fatal consequences.