Taken Too Soon

I had hoped to write a really bubbly post about Dan's birthday, but I got a terrible and shocking piece of news yesterday that has rendered me unable to focus on anything but that.  On Wednesday, one of the groomsmen in a friend's wedding was killed by an IED in Afghanistan.  I had spent some time with Todd in a group at the wedding, and then again when I went down to Benning two summers ago.  I certainly did not know him very well, but his death has had such a profound effect on me over these past eighteen hours, particularly given that he is both the first person I have known who has been killed in combat, and also the first person that I have had some connection to who has died at such a young age.

I have been reading through articles like this one and looking back through photos that I took at the wedding and again in Georgia, and even though waves of grief and tears have passed over me, I still can't quite wrap my mind around the fact that he is gone.  It seemed as though Todd's life was really going well, with a new fiancée and a lot to look forward to in the near future.  I can vividly remember Todd's fun-loving spirit, and I know how highly his friends thought of him.  I was saying to Dan that, one of the most difficult things over the past few hours has been looking at Todd's Facebook page.  In this, the age of omnipresent social media, his page has been, I believe, a useful outlet for his family and friends and a forum through which they can post messages of grieving and remembrance.  However, it has been difficult for me because, even though these messages are a lasting tribute to Todd, he is not here anymore, even though his Facebook page still exists.  It's like he is caught in some sort of limbo, where he is not physically with us, but, yet, his online persona still is. 

No matter what your views on the war in Afghanistan, I think that it is so important, particularly when we are celebrating the successes of our country's "heroes" in the Olympics, to remind ourselves constantly of those true American heroes who give the ultimate sacrifice.  Sure, Michael Phelps may be the most decorated Olympian of all time, but he has not laid down his life for his country.  I pray that Todd rests in peace, and am keeping his family and friends in my prayers in this, such a difficult time.  Please hold your loved ones a little bit tighter and make no secret of how much you love them, because this heartbreaking story is a prime illustration of how abruptly and violently people we love can be taken from us.