No man is an island

"...No man is an island, entire of itself; every man is a piece of the continent, a part of the main. If a clod be washed away by the sea, Europe is the less, as well as if a promontory were, as well as if a manor of thy friend's or of thine own were. Any man's death diminishes me, because I am involved in mankind; and therefore never send to know for whom the bell tolls; it tolls for thee..." - John Donne

This passage memorized in school is resonating in my thoughts tonight as I ponder the deaths of 2 people I did not know, but feel a loss for nonetheless.

This morning I was awakened as I am every morning by the Rick & Bubba show. I don't listen to them on a regular basis, but have caught their show while in a more coherent than half-asleep state once in a while and I love what they have to say. I did not know exactly what they were talking about this morning, but I could tell that a loss of some sort had occurred. After some research on the internet tonight, I discovered that Rick's son, Bronner (2), fell into the family pool on Saturday night and drowned. What a devastating tragedy! I cannot even imagine the pain this family must be feeling right now, but even still they have the faith to make this statement on their website: "The Burgess's want to give all Honor and Glory to GOD for the many blessings He has given us, especially the life of Bronner Burgess. And while we do not understand, we know who is in charge and His will be done in life and in death." I am lifting up this family tonight and ask that you do the same.

Another loss I'm feeling tonight is for the life of a rising star, Heath Ledger. While I did not agree with some of the roles he chose, I could see that he had enormous potential to become one of the leading men of our time. While the first death was of a 2-year-old child, this death was of the father of a 2-year-old child. I am deeply saddened for that little girl who will now face life without a father. She will have to live with the circumstances of his death - whether it was by his own hand or an accident, it will have lasting effects on her. I pray tonight for God to wrap His arms of protection around her from this day forward. May her life not become the tragic story we often hear about children of celebrities.

I'm sorry for the sad tone of the blog today. I was just particularly touched by these 2 stories of 2 completely different people and how their deaths do diminish me because I can relate to their families in such a real way. Does that make sense? I am sick, so I'm probably rambling a bit and should just go on to bed. Please just say a few prayers for these families with me over the next days and weeks.