My Frame of Mind

These are my thoughts, however I may quote those who are smarter and wiser than I am.

Monday, April 6, 2009

Monday Sadness...

I'm a pretty upbeat person to those who know me and to any bloggers who happened to land here even though I don't know them "face to face". I figure there's enough gloom and doom in the world and we just don't need to read/see it while spending precious spare time blog-hopping.

Once in a while something breaks through my Scarlett O'Hara (I'll worry bout that tommorah) pessimism...

Today was one of those days...
And if you don't have tissues handy, please close this window now.

I'll keep this background part short first.
In 1996 our 18 yr old nephew went missing. Or so we thought. After searching along the Sacramento River for weeks, we found he wasn't just missing. He had been murdered and his body was found at a marina near our home.
It was hard. It was difficult. The subsequent arrest and conviction of an aquaintance of the family made the horror worse.
Even though Nick was not a little boy, he was still a very worthy human being.
A child.
A son.
A brother.
A nephew.
A grandson.
A cousin.

So when we hear in the news that a child (no matter the age) has gone missing...well it doesn't just break my heart, it tears at the inner core of what makes me human.

Recently, an 8 yr old went missing in an area not too far from us and her picture was all over the national news. Scores of volunteers and law enforcement were combing the area. A piece of video from a camera mounted on her home showed her skipping along the driveway.
From the first moment I saw the news reports, I just wanted to scream at the TV..."check any water areas first!"
And the sad thing is...
The authorities found Sandra Cantu about 2 miles from her home today.
In a canal. In a suitcase.

And I am heartbroken that a very worthy human being is no longer with her family.
A child.
A daughter.
A niece.
A grandaughter.
A cousin.

Please keep her family in your thoughts and prayers.

4 comments:

Kathy said...

Yes, your story just breaks my heart! I will pray for the family and I will pray for you too! You must relive all that has happened to your nephew every time you hear of someone missing!

Sending hugs your way!

scrappernic said...

I was in tears when I saw this on the news last night--just awful. It's one of those things that just makes me hug my kids a little tighter and hold them a little longer.

I am so sorry that you had personal experience going through such horrible events. I'm sure every time you hear a story like this you re-live it. Hugs to you!

heidi said...

Sad to think this can be such a sick world with sick people living in it. Stories like this make my heart ache. My thoughts are with the family, as I can only imagine the pain their loss is causing.
-heidi

Unknown said...

It is very sad to think people can just hurt others. My family also went through a similar story. My sister was kidnapped when we were young. Fortunately, she was back with us the same day. The man was caught and was convicted. This type of action stays with you for life. I am praying for the Cantu family in their grief.