It's something that you see in the news far too often. Another shooting in another town with more fatalities; There are more lives lost and more loved ones not coming home. But it's usually not your town. It's not your loved ones. It's some place that you have never heard of or been to so all you can do is sympathize. Your heart hurts for those that you know must be grieving or too traumatized to ever step into another mall, night club, high school or airport.
But it doesn't actually touch your life. By this I mean, you do the only thing you can and you go on with your day. You laugh and eat and do what you planned to for that day because this tragedy is something that you only see in the news or as a hashtag online.
That is until it's your home.
Until it's your city.
Until it's your airport.
When it's your home you think about your family and friends who had a flight out of Fort Lauderdale airport a week ago. The ones that flew out two days ago. And especially the ones that flew out the morning that a man opened fire in baggage claim of Fort Lauderdale International Airport.
That seems obvious. You probably already knew all of that. There is no real point to this article, I guess. Because we can make pointless decisions. Just like there was no point behind this shooting. A man just felt like it. And that was it. That was all it took.
And his name will probably be remembered because of this senseless act. It's sadly common. We remember tragedies by the name of the person that committed the crime. We hold onto their names as they go down in infamy. We remember Dylan Roof but forget the names of those who were lost in that Charleston church. We remember James Holmes but forget about the people who died protecting their loved ones in the Aurora movie theater.
Choose to remember the names and faces of the ones who's lives were taken that day over the name that took them; Not as a sad reminder, but as a gesture to them and their family.
Remember Olga Woltering, the wife, mother, and grandmother from Georgia.
Remember Michael Oehme, a husband on his way to a cruise with his wife.
Remember Shirley Timmons and Terry Andres.
Because we can remember the day, the shooter, the airport, the fear and let a man who took five lives and seriously injured six others. Or we can remember the ones who lost their lives on that day and help their families let the memories of their mom, wife, sister, brother, husband, father or friend live on.
