Friends of friends of the loved ones I hold dear are victims as six degrees of separation permeates the chaos and brings the tragedy home in a way no newscast can deliver. One of my own Chicago neighbors in the suburb of Crystal Lake is grieving. Aurora's loss is humanity's loss.
In the blink of an eye I can travel to places I never wanted to visit, places that challenge me to find meaning and courage and forgiveness in the midst of this crazy, tragic, wonderful world.
My brother Chris shared this picture and these words yesterday after visiting the scene of the shootings while on his way to Buckley Air Force Base. “It didn’t hit me how horrible it was until I drove by today."