I know most of this will be completely incoherent, but I'm just writing what pops into my head.
We'll start with death: A week has come and gone since the death of my friend, Kalyn O'Barr. (Click for news article) Losing a friend or a loved one is never easy. Each year, it seems that at least one person I know dies. A death such as hers comes as a shock to everyone. She was such a sweet girl, she didn't deserve this, he deserves to die are just a few of the things that cross the minds of those who loved her. Think about it though, killing him won't bring her back. Patrick Poteat, her husband, deserves to be punished, but would death really solve anything? There are friends and family who love him and don't want to put him in the ground. What good would come of him being sentenced to death? It will cause so much heartache to his family who don't need to suffer because of his stupid, stupid actions. Killing him would also give him an easy escape from his actions and his conscience. Whether he dies now or in 50 years, he will be sentenced to an eternity in Hell, why speed up his fate? He feels remorse so why not make him wallow in his guilt. "You made the bed now you have to lie in it."
Many blame the Marines and make ridiculous statements like "that gives Marines a bad reputation." That is the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard. Friends and family are mourning the death of such a wonderful girl and all the Marine families (and some civilians) can say is "it gives Marines a bad rep." Anyone who bases their opinion of Marines off of one bad egg is an idiot. Marines are people, being a Marine is their JOB it doesn't define who they are. If Patrick Poteat would have been a fry cook at McDonald's would there be comments like "things like this give fry cooks a bad name," NO! Seeing that my husband is a Marine, I somewhat take offense to that statement. He is not a bad person in any way, shape, or form. The Marines don't make him who he is. Basically, I'm saying don't blame the Marine Corps, blame the person.
Now onto Life: Death occurs everyday all over the world. Just as easy as life was given to us it can be taken away. Most people take it for granted until it's too late. It never fails, when someone I know dies I automatically start thinking about my own life. It's a privilege to be here. You fought through development, you fought to breath, and you fought to maintain existence on this earth, if you think about it. Your first breath was given as easy as someone slapping you on the back and can be taken away as easy as a rope or cord being wrapped around your neck. Think about your life. What have you done with it? Will people remember you? Will people be saddened? Will you have a candle light memorial in your home town? I always sit back and wonder what it'd be like if I died. I wish I could become a ghost and see my funeral and see the reactions of friends and family and even people I just came across at school. If you can make a difference in the life of one person within your lifetime you've done something with your life. Whether it's help a bum get off the street and back on his or her feet or help a child learn to read or help build a house with Habitat for Humanity, you've made a difference.
With the hustle and bustle of life these days those in need often go unnoticed. In every major city and now in some not so major cities, you get off the exit of the highway and coming up to the traffic light you see someone on the side of the road holding up a sign. You think "Oh God, not another one" and turn your head and pray to God you don't make eye contact. Put yourself in their position. What if you lost EVERYTHING? (even if it was from drug or alcohol abuse) What if your family and friends had turned their back on you and now the rest of the world is, too? Have you ever looked at one of those people on the side of the road and felt the urge to give them SOMETHING, I have. I can turn a blind eye to them most of the time but there was one time in particular that this man stood out. Something inside of me told me I HAD to give to him and I did. I gave him every penny I had in my purse that day and I've never seen him since then. I don't know what he wanted with the money or what he did with it, but something in my gut told me to go for it. I, honestly, feel like it was God telling me he needed it more than I. If you have the urge to help someone, do it, even if it means giving every penny in your pocket that day. For some reason that weight on my conscience was lifted as soon as that money reached his hands and we drove away and I guarantee it'll do the same for you.
Lastly, the Memories: Oh, the memories. Kalyn, I've known you since sixth grade. You were always the one who knew all the answers. You were an AMAZING soccer player and great friend. I remember being the shy one and the few classes I had with you that year in 6th grade you took the time out of your life to befriend me. You were one of the sweetest girls I knew. As we got older we drifted apart and once we were separated from schools we definitely lost a lot of connection. We kept in contact through MySpace and Facebook up until about August or '09. I regret deleting you off of my friends list now. I wish I would've kept in contact with you. I had no idea you were HERE, I could've been there for you when you had no one from home but your husband. You gave up your life in Georgia to be with him just like I did for Chris and he repaid you by killing you. It hurts, it's like a knife just stabbed me in the stomach. For someone to be that angry with you to kill you is unbelievable. I'm sure there is more to the story than any of us will ever know, though. Maybe there was something you hid from the rest of the world? From you friends? Around us you were always laughing and smiling you were such a ray of sunshine. The world grew so much darker when you left it. We wanted you here on Earth with us, but God NEEDED you in Heaven with him. Kalyn, you are truly an angel and you are missed and dearly loved. Your viewing and funeral is this weekend. I wish I could be there to say good bye.
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