Friday, September 5, 2008

On a more serious note...

i found out a boy who was in my home ward, the same age as my brothers died today. He was over in Iraq and was killed by a road side bomb. i did not know him however he symbolizes hope, youth, the future... he died fighting for our country. i do not know how long he waited for death-- for his sake, i hope he died very quickly.
i wonder about his life. did he ever have a romantic relationship? did he ever kiss a girl? did he dream about his wife and the kids he would have someday...his white picket fence? what about the car he always wanted? what were his plans after he got out of the military? these and many more questions fill my mind.

his mother, father and sister must be devastated. for me, his death, the death of an acquaintance of my brothers brings the reality of war all too close to home. suddenly when i hear "there were X number of deaths today in Iraq" i realize that every one of those people have lives, families, hopes, dreams, pets, hobbies, love to give, and loved ones to lose.

i suppose the purpose of this post is twofold:
to say thank you to his family. they did not willingly sacrifice their son but they lost him while he was serving his country and protecting the freedoms of those i love--thank you. this young man did not die in vain.
and
to ask a question: what are you living for?

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