Goodbye, Taarna

Someone I once knew died last night. She was the daughter of my friends Brant and Katrina. She shared my birthday. I haven't seen her in years, so I'll always remember her as a young teenager with dark hair, an easy smile, and freckles. She must have turned into quite a vibrant young woman. The world is at a loss without her.

The news was quite unexpected, like a surprise gut shot or a slap in the face. Brant wrote to me and a few others to let us know. There's a news story here. I'm sure there are others, but I haven't got the nerve to seek them out just now.

Being a parent gives me a different perspective on the loss of children. I routinely grow irate when I read news stories about child abuse and neglect, because I can look at my own kids and imagine them in such a bad situation. Likewise, hearing about children who have died upsets me. Learning that Taarna is gone has got me more than a little bit tore up inside. However tenuous my connection to her in recent years, I still have many memories of her in my braincase.

I'm sad, and not a little bit angry. This sort of thing shouldn't happen. I keep thinking that it can't be true, but I suppose there's no denying it.

I don't guess I have much more to say about it right now. It's pretty close to the surface at the moment. I think I need some time to reflect and come to grips with it.