Thursday, December 08, 2005

Missing

Almost everyone can cite a case of a missing person in their region. It seems like any time you turn on the radio, television or sign online there are cases being reported of a particular missing person or persons.

Someone said to me that they thought there must be an epidemic happening, of women going missing. My response was that there has always been a plethora of missing women, it's just that we're more aware of them due to mass media. In the days before various forms of media became the instant communications tools that we all depend upon, people may have heard, or known, about someone going missing. But not necessarily in the numbers that we today encounter missing persons reports. Google has a Beta news search engine http://news.google.com/news?ned=us which is a pretty nifty tool for various news I like to read about. But type in "missing women," "missing persons," or "crime news," and you'll find article after article upon article about those subjects. So many people. Gone.

There's a latent fear in all of us who hear about cases like these. The fear that a loved one could go missing through no fault of their own. We give prayers that none of our family suffer the fates of those we've heard or read about. We give thanks, that today, we know where our loved ones are.

Holidays aren't always a pleasant time for families of a missing person who are left to carry on for the sake of others remaining. Birthdays, special occasions, anniversaries, weddings, funerals, Thanksgiving and Christmas. All go by with the reminder that a loved one is not there to participate. The waiting and wondering. Tears and despair. Hoping and prayers.

It's not much in the scheme of things, nor will it shake anyone's foundations. But here's my prayer to add to theirs. For those who are missing be found. Those who are waiting, to have answers.