Untimely death keeps things in perspective for those still living

[desertanimal]

Hey. I just wanted to share this. I don't really know why.

A grad. student friend of mine here in the department has been having a rather rough time of it. Since May, one of her best friends from college has been missing. Now, everyone knew for the last 8 months that this is not a good thing, because 25 year old women with good jobs and apparently happy lives in Boston don't just run away randomly. Over the winter break, her friend's body was found in a park, right next to the last place she was known to be. Of course, after 8 months and a moist Boston summer, it was just her friend's skeleton that was found. It was found by a jogger and identified by dental records. She was murdered. My friend doesn't know by whom she was murdered, because the girl's family is very private, and she feels rude to ask. So my friend is left wondering what happened, and being asked to do things like write obits and organize memorial services at the college they attended. And she isn't coping well. Not well at all. And I don't blame her.

I've been rather stressed out lately, but I really feel a lot of empathy for my friend, and for hers. I wouldn't know how to handle it if someone I cared deeply for died alone, and scared. I don't mean scared because of being scared to die, but scared because someone is about to kill you. It really puts into perspective that certain things I worry about are really not that important, and it makes me remember that I need to tell the people I love that I love them. You don't know when knowing that you are deeply loved by people might make a big difference.