the Preciousness of Life

I am struck this week by loss.

A collective sense of loss in story after story in the news. The War. Little girls senselessly murdered in Florida. The all American girl lost in Aruba after one probably fatal mistake on vacation.

Family loss, in the passing of a loved one.

I'm struck, most of all, by the preciousness of life.

I was reminded this week of the life that we all share here together. It's easy to lose track of that in this world of opinion blogging. To take sides. To draw camps. To be us and them. Sometimes we get reminded to broaden our view of each other.

I learned this week of the death of a young lady. I never met her and I never would have run into her. But through the miracle of this web we inhabit, I've gotten a chance to know a little about her.

She was a journaler as well, and I've gotten to read of her and her life on the web in this electronic paper trail that we journalers leave.

She was an activist. A strong and passionate advocate for the causes she believed in, and more importantly, the people she could help through this medium. Clearly, from the posts of the devastated people she left behind, she helped many - selflessly.

It wasn't hard to see from what I've read that she and I would have been on opposite sides of all of the issues that we each talked about. She probably would hate this blog. I've always said here, though, that I admire activists on both sides of issues. People who get in the game and care. I respect that, and from reading about her - I respect her.

It's not important what I think about her. Or who would have been right or wrong on issues if we had a debate. I didn't even know her. But I care about her, and the difference that she made.

I'm just struck tonight by loss.

And the preciousness of life.