Living the news

There was a huge train wreck in LA Friday afternoon. This morning my husband was reading the names of the dead and he knew one of the men. Now in this case, it had been a long time since they had been in touch and actually D's first wife probably knew him better than D did. Still - the news comes into our living room and into our lives. 

Over the years my family has been touched in some way or another by enough news stories that I have come to realize we are all connected. Sometimes, as in this case, it is a name from the past. Other times it has been up close and personal: a high school boy friend, a good friend, a business associate. And every time it reminds me that we need to pick up a paper, listen to the news, hear the story knowing that for all those meaningless names, there are families, loved ones, even distant acquaintances who are caring, grieving, knowing their lives will never be quite the same. 

Just the fact of our awareness can add to the support for those who are living the news -- blessings